BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  SOME  OF 
THE  EARLY  SETTLERS  OF  THE  CITY  OF 
CHICAGO. 


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UNIVERSITY 


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I.  LISLE  SMITH, 
J.  BROWN, 

II  P.  HARRIS, 


GEORGE  DAVIS,  Dr.  PHILIP  MAXWELL, 

RICHARD  L.  WILSON,  Col.  LEWIS  C.  KERCHIVAL, 
HENRY  B.  CLARKE,  Sheriff  SAMUEL  J.  LOWE. 


» 


Biographical  Sketches 


OF  SOME  OF  THE 


EARLY  SETTLERS 

OF  THE 

CITY  OF  CHICAGO. 


PART  . 


S.  LISLE  SMITH. 

Dk.  PHILIP  MAXWELL, 
RICHARD  L.  WILSON, 
URIAH  P.  HARRIS, 

SAMUEL 


GEORGE  DAVIS, 

JOHN  J.  BROWN, 

Col.  LEWIS  C.  KERCHIVAL 
HENRY  J.  CLARKE, 

J.  LOWE. 


CHICAGO : 


FERGUS  PRINTING  COMPANY, 
244-8  Illinois  Street, 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1876,  by 
Fergus  Printing  Company, 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


I 


INTRODUCTION. 

_  .  S'  7 

The  following  pages  are  intended  merely  as  sketches  of 
character — not  labored  biographies.  In  the  inception,  the 
object  was  simply  to  prepare  a  few  newspaper  articles,  to 
be  read  and  thrown  aside,  as  other  ephemeral  literature. 
But  partial,  very  likely  over-partial,  friends,  who  saw  the 
earlier  manuscripts,  believed  them  worthy  of  a  better  fate — 
believed  them  (how  could  I  question  the  verdict?)  to  be 
recollections  of  the  fast-growing  dim  past,  that  should  be 
garnered,  and  would  be  cordially  received  and  valued  by 
the  olden-time  citizens  of  Chicago.  This  being  the  case, 
and  my  friend  of  “auld  lang  syne”,  Mr.  Robert  Fergus, 
having  determined  to  give  them  the  dignity  of  a  book,  no 
one  can  regret  more  sincerely  than  the  writer  that  greater 
care  was  not  taken  in  the  preparation — that  they  were  not 
given  more  at  length — that  more  of  birth  and  family  had 
not  been  gathered.  That  would  have  made  them  interest¬ 
ing — to  their  descendants. 

The  general  public,  however,  may  fancy  them  as  well  in 
the  present  form.  They,  at  least,  care  little  or  nothing 
where  the  accident  of  birth  occurred,  or  whether  the  name 
of  the  father  was  John  or  Jehosaphat,  and  that  of  the 
mother  Mary  or  Jerusha!  They  simply  require  a  mental 
photograph  of  those  who  walked  the  streets  when  Chicago 
was  a  terra  incognita , — who  filled  the  places  they  now  fill, 
— who  passed  through  the  same  trials  and  had  the  same 
hopes  and  fears — the  same  clothing  and  passions  of  mor¬ 
tality.  Birth  or  nation,  we  take  it,  has  little  to  do  with 
how  each  “acts  his  part.”  It  is  the  man  only  that  sur- 
vives^save  with  the  loving  hearts  of  kindred. 

Of  the  knowledge  of  what  I  have  feebly  attempted,  I 
was  part  of  all.  Though  not  among  the  earliest,  yet  I 
was  an  early  citizen  of  the  now  famous  “Garden  City,” 
and  my  business  was  such  as  to  throw  me  into  intimate 
association  with  all  classes,  more  than  was  generally  the 
case,  and  the  lines  written  upon  the  memory  of  the  boy 
have  not  been  obliterated  from  that  of  the  gray- headed 
man  any  more  than  the  city  can  be  blotted  from  the  map 
of  the  world, — such  a  thing  could  never  be.  Love  for 


9 


INTRODUCTION. 


those  still  living,  and  graves  (may  they  be  ever  green  ones) 
by  the  lake  side  forbid  such  a  thing. 

Of  my  ability  to  do  justice  to  those  who  “have  gone 
on  before,”  I  feel  its  want  to  the  extreme,  and,  had  I 
known  what  was  to  follow,  would  have*  burned  the  first 
pages  of  manuscript  and  shrank  from  the  task, — what  it 
was  I  realized  too  late.  But  one  thing  I  do  know  — 
nothing  untruthful,  no  single  word  of  bitterness  (no  matter 
what  might  have  occurred  in  other  days,  when  hearts  beat 
high  and  passions  ran  strong,)  has  been  permitted  to  be 
here  set  down.  Indeed,  I  can  say — and  that  with  my 
hand  upon  my  heart — that  nothing  of  the  kind  remains. 
Looking  backward,  one  almost  shudders  as  he  learns  that 
what  he  considered  the  fault  of  another  was  his  own,  and 
the  blame  rests  upon  his  shoulders  alone! 

Chicago,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  a  very  different 
affair  thirty  and  forty  years  ago  from  what  it  is  now.  Then 
everybody  knew  everybody,  as  in  village  society.  Conse¬ 
quently,  one  could  not  but  be  familiar  with  the  men  who 
stood  the  highest  in  the  community — with  their  acts  as 
their  faces — could  not  but  be  interwoven  with  them  in 
daily  life— could  not  but  have  stamped  upon  memory  their 
individuality.  Then,  there  were  comparatively  few  who 
marked  themselves  above  their  fellows,  and  to  forget  them 
would  be  to  forget,  almost,  one’s  self — and  writing  of  them 
is  as  turning  open  the  book  of  your  own  life. 

It  would  be  impossible  for  any  to  write  of  so  long  ago 
without  having  their  statements  questioned,  and  I  do  not 
expect  to  escape.  Human  memory  at  best  is  treacherous, 
and  the  same  witnesses  often  look  at  the  same  transaction 
from  a  different  standpoint.  To  anyone  in  the  least  familiar 
with  courts  of  justice  this  explanation  will  be  sufficient. 
To  any  others  who  may  quibble,  I  can  say,  in  all  honesty, 
that  any  statement  of  fact  made  in  these  pages  is  a  fact 
“according  to  the  best  of  my  information  and  belief,”  and 
that  we  may  have  looked  at  the  same  object  at  a  different 
time  or  from  an  opposite  side. 

As  to  opinions  of  character ,  they  are  my  own.  Not  a 
single  person  has  made  any  suggestion — not  one  attempted 
the  slightest  influence.  If  I  have  erred  in  my  judgment 
of  men,  I  am  alone  responsible.  My  study  of  character 
may  be  wrong,  but,  as  I  have  judged  others,  I  am  willing 
to  be  judged. 


HON.  S.  LISLE  SMITH. 


'['here  was  no  one  better  known  to  the  “old  citizens” 
of  Chicago,  nor  justly  more  famous  for  brilliancy  and 
innate  kindness  of  heart,  than  Samuel  Lisle  Smith— or. 
as  he  was  familiarly  called,  “Lisle.” 

(lifted  by  nature  far  above  the  great  majority  of  his- 
fellows,  with  a  rare  education,  striking  ideality,  and  love 
and  appreciation  of  the  poetic  and  beautiful,  with  the 
most  retentive  of  memories — one  so  marvelously  perfect 
that  he  could  quote  the  words,  section,  page,  and  book 
of  almost  anything  he  had  ever  read,  and  his  simple  ipse 
dixit  would  be  taken  as  law  in  any  court  in  the  city — a 
natural  as  well  as  finely  cultivated  orator,,  he  was,  indeed, 
at  the  head  of  his  compeers  at  least  in  that  respect. 

In  stature,  Mr.  Smith  was  about  medium  size,  with  a 
slightly  florid  complexion,  rather  light  hair,  active  in  his 
movements,  rapid  as  forcible  in  speech,  graceful  in  every 
gesture,  wonderful  in  imagery,  the  very  soul  of  pathos, 
and  could  hold  an  audience  spell-bound  for  any  length 
of  time,  as  was  proven  again  and 'again. 

As  to  his  eloquence,  the  entire  wisdom  and  the  selected 
“best  speakers”  of  the  nation  bowed  unanimously  to  it, 
at  the  famous  “  Harbor  and  River  Convention.”  Horace 
Greeley  said  he  was  “the  star  speaker  of  the  vast  assem¬ 
bly — stood  without  a  rival,”  and  the  writer  of  this  has  often 
seen  a  letter  from  Henry  Clay,  avowing  that  he  “was  the 
best  orator  he  had  ever  heard.”  Could  better  testimony 
be  required  to  prove  a  fact?  In  short,  Mr.  Smith  stood 
head  and  front  above  all  he  met  at  that  time  (as,  indeed 

n  n  r;  n  A  ' 


I 


S.  LISLK  SMITH. 


2 

at  any  other)  for  magnetic  influence  over  the  masses,  for 
flow  of  language,  for  all  that  goes  to  make  up  the  orator 
- — stood  without  the  approach  of  a  rival — without  it  might 
have  been  S.  S.  Prentiss. 

When  I -isle  Smith  spoke,  the  house  was  certain  to  be 
crowded,  no  matter  what  its  size  or  what  the  occasion. 
All  who  resided  in  the  “(harden  City”  (“ Urbs  in  Junto." 
as  the  motto  upon  the  Corporate  Seal  has  it)  at  the  time, 
and  were  fortunate  enough  to  hear  him,  will  remember 
with  pleasure  his  eulogy  upon  John  Quincy  Adams,  when 
the  Methodist  Church  (then  standing  on  the  corner  of 
Washington  and  Clark  Streets)  was  so  jammed  that  the 
speaker  had  to  be  taken  in  at  a  window  and  carried  over 
the  heads  of  the  audience  to  the  pulpit;  also  his  famous 
oration  before  the  “Sons  of  Penn,”  at  the  little  wooden 
church  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Society  (situate  on 
Randolph  Street,  midway  between  Clark  and  Dearborn), 
and,  also,  his  address  at  the  “  Irish  Relief  Meeting,”  at 
the  Baptist  Church  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and 
LaSalle  Streets. 

Of  the  “  Penn  ”  oration,  1  remember  well  the  incidents 
preceding  it.  It  was  delivered  upon  the  afternoon  of 
the  funeral  of  Judge  Jesse  B.  Thomas.  After  the  ser¬ 
vices,  Mr.  Smith  and  myself  left  together — he  to  keep  his 
appointment  and  I  to  listen.  Benjamin  F.  Tayloq  the 
poet  of  the  day,  had  finished,  and  the  large  audience  was 
anxiously  waiting.  Mr.  Smith  entered,  walked  rapidly  to 
the  pulpit,  and  prefaced  his  oration  with  the  following 
fitly-chosen  words,  and  in  a  voice  tremulous  with  emo¬ 
tion  : — 

“  Returning  from  the  funeral  obsequies  of  a  dear,  tried, 
and  trusted  friend,  I  appear  before  you  with  a  mournful 

heart  and  sorrowing  spirit  to  perform  the  duty  allotted  to 

” 

he  plunged,  in  media  res,  into  the  subject,  by 
“Saint  John  upon  the  Isle  of  Patmos,  said:  write 


S.  LISLE  SMITH. 


3 


to  my  friends  in  Philadelphia,”  and  for  an  hour  not  a 
sound  was  to  be  heard  save  his  own  voice,  unless  when 
the  pent-up  enthusiasm  could  no  longer  be  restrained,  and 
applause  caused  the  very  roof  to  vibrate. 

His  power  over  an  audience  was  wonderful— matchless 
— his  flights  of  fancy  sublime,  and  have  never,  I  think, 
been  surpassed.  He  was  bitterly  severe  when  he  chose 
to  indulge  in  invective,  as  shown  in  his  numerous  politi¬ 
cal  speeches,  but  it  was  the  keen  cutting  of  the  razor 
rather  than  the  dulled  edge  of  the  sword  ;  and  he  had  no 
equal  in  pathos,  as  the  not-to-be-checked  tears  of  the 
multitude  at  the  “Irish  Relief  Meeting”  most  faithfully 
attested.  Not  one  there,  I  venture  to  assert,  has  forgot¬ 
ten,  or  ever  can  forget,  his  vividly  terrible  description  of 
the  approach  of  gaunt,  skeleton  famine,  of  hollow-eyed 
starvation,  as  it  stalked  resistlessly  through  the  land,  touch¬ 
ing  first  the  finger  tips,  and  then  creeping  slowly  on  until 
it  reached  and  fastened  upon  the  heart — the  wildly  fear¬ 
ful  Nemesis  that  bowed  strong  men  and  loving  women 
and  innocent  childhood,  and  turned  the  “Green  Isle  of 
the  sea”  into  a  horrible  graveyard!  It  was  too  living  a 
reality — too  minutely  faithful  and  eloquently  voiced  a 
description  ever  to  be  effaced  from  memory. 

There  was,  also,  a  vast  fund  of  humor  in  the  character 
of  Mr.  Smith,  though  permitted  to  show  itself  more  in 
private  than  public  —  not  broad,  Falstaffian,  grotesque 
humor,  but  a  subtle,  delicate  appreciation  of  mirth,  which 
his  power  of  mimicry  made  irresistible,  and  of  which  many 
instances  might  be  adduced.  This,  with  a  charity  that  was 
as  unostentatious  as  it  was  lavish,  underlaid  all  his  actions 
and  assisted  much  in  giving  the  magnetism  that  instantly 
made  him  en  rapport  with  any  audience. 

But  notwithstanding  his  powers  of  oratory — his  brilliant 
flow  of  language,  that  was  always  chosen  from  the  inevi¬ 
tably  best  words,  and  always  poetic  in  imagery  as  pure 
in  diction  and  logical  in  argument,  nothing — literally  noth- 


4 


S.  I.1SLE  SMITH. 


ing — remains  of  his  speeches  save  a  glowing,  though  sad., 
memory.  The  perfume  of  the  rose  lingers  around  the 
broken  vase,  but,  alas !  that  is  all, 

“Appealing  by  the  magic  of  Ah  name, 

To  gentle  feelings,  anti  affections  kept 
Within  the  heart,  like  gold." 

Shortly  after  his  death,  his  lifetime  friend,  Richard  L. 
Wilson,  (of  the  Evening  Journal ,) — another  brave  heart 
and  true, — and  others  endeavored  to  obtain  data  for  their 
publication,  but  nothing  could  be  found.  He  never  wrote 
a  single  word  even  of  his  greatest  efforts.  It  was  his 
custom,  when  preparing  a  speech,  to  walk  up  and  down 
the  shore  of  the  lake,  talking  to  himself— shaping  the  crude 
material  into  form,  and,  with  the  matter  once  fluxed  in 
the  subtle  crucible  of  his  brain,  it  was  never  forgotten. 

In  political  life,  he  stood  among  the  foremost,  ever  in 
the  van;  though  never  either  asking  or  accepting  an  office 
when  proffered,  while  working  devotedly  for  his  party  and 
his  friends.  Of  this  let  me  give  a  single  instance  out  of 
the  multitude,  one  that  will  show  more  clearly  the  man 
than  any  words  of  my  own  could  do.  He  was — could 
not  conceal  the  fact — disappointed  in  the  nomination  of 
General  Taylor,  but  when  the  old  warrior  was  fairly  in 
the  field  for  the  Presidency,  he  threw  all  his  influence  in 
his  favor  and  did  much  towards  securing  his  election. 
That  accomplished,  and  the  inauguration  over,  he  visited 
Washington  and  paid  his  respects  to  the  Chief  Magistrate. 
Again  and  again  he  called,  chatting  interestingly,  as  he  so 
well  could  do.  and  left  without  a  word  of  business.  Then 
he  called  yet  once  more,  to  say  farewell,  and  as  he  was 
about  leaving,  the  old  war  horse  said,  in  his  bluff  and 
hearty  way, 

“Mr.  Smith,  I  like  you.  " 

“The  admiration  is  more  than  mutual."  replied  Lisle: 
“but  why,  General?” 

“Because  you  are  very  different  from  anyone  who  has 


S.  LISLE  SMITH.  5 

•called  upon  me.  Everybody  wants  an  office,  and  you  have 
asked  for  nothing." 

“And  would  not  accept  the  highest  in  your  gift." 

“But  can  I  do  nothing  for  you,  sir?" 

“Nothing  personally,  but,  if  you  please,  General,  it  would 

be  a  great  pleasure  to  me  if  you  would  appoint  - 

Post  Master  at  Chicago;’'  and  he  eloquently  presented  the 
claims  of  the  candidate. 

Need  I  say  the  appointment  was  made? 

Were  space  permitted,  I  could  fill  pages  with  such  pleas- 
.ant  memories  of  the  man — memories  that  deserve  to  be 
perpetuated;  but  a  brief  notice  is  all  that  is  permitted. 

His  political  speeches  were,  truly,  a  power  in  the  land. 
An  old-line  Whig  of  the  strictest  school,  he  loved — wor¬ 
shipped  were,  perhaps,  the  more  fitting  term  —  “Harry  of 
the  West."  as  he  delighted  to  call  Clay;  and,  probably,  did 
more  for  his  party  than  any  of  his  time  in  Illinois.  Right 
or  wrong  he  carried  his  hearers  with  him,  and  spent  his 
money  freely  in  the  cause.  So  much  was  he  interested  in 
the  political  struggles  of  the  country  that  he  gave  up  the 
practice  of  his  profession  (law)  at  an  early  day,  though,  had 
he  been  so  disposed,  he  would  have  been  without  a  rival  as 
a  jury  lawyer — would  have  occupied  the  place  at  the  Chi¬ 
cago  Bar  that  James  T.  Brady  occupied  in  New  York. 

In  social  intercourse,  no  man  was  (or  is)  to  be  found 
who  could  more  charm  or  hold  fast  the  attention.  That 
this  was  the  case,  all  who  ever  shared  his  open-handed 
hospitality,  and  that  of  his  beautiful  and  accomplished  wife, 
will  attest.  His  conversation  was  of  the  character  that 
made  one  a  willing  listener,  and  compelled  regret  when  he 
had  finished,  for — 

“On  every  point,  in  earnest  or  in  jest, 

His  judgment,  and  his  prudence,  and  his  wit, 

Were  deemed  the  very  touchstone  and  the  test 
Of  what  was  proper,  graceful,  just,  and  fit.” 

This  I  saw  proven  again  and  again,  even  among  strangers. 


6 


S.  LISLE  SMITH. 


When  the  first  “Sherman  House’’  (created  from  the  “City 
Hotel”)  was  standing,  Mr.  Smith  entered,  one  evening,  with 
a  friend,  and  their  conversation  drifted  upon  the  life  and 
character  of  Henry  Clay.  The  reading-room  was  filled 
with  men  engaged  with  their  own  particular  topics,  but,  as 
he  enlarged  upon  his  idea,  everyone  became  silent,  and 
remained  so  until  a  very  late  hour.  ( )f  that  night  I  have 
a  perfectly  distinct  recollection,  and  especially  of  the  con¬ 
clusion.  The  dust  of  the  years  that  have  fallen  have  failed 
to-  dim  its  individuality. 

“  1  tell  you,”  said  the  enthusiastic  orator,  “that  Harry 
Clay  will  never  die,  but  will  be  translated,  like  Elijah  of 
old.  When  the  Lord  wants  him,  he  will  send  down  angels 
with  a  golden  chariot,  and  one  of  them  will  tell  his  errand. 
•Wait  a  moment,’  will  be  the  courteous  reply,  ‘I  must  bid 
my  wife  farewell.’  Entering  the  house,  he  will  tell  of  the 
kingly  summons,  and  say,  ‘Mary.  1  must  go — farewell.  Tell 
everyone  that  the  Union  must  and  shall  be  preserved.’  and 
stepping  into  the  heavenly  car  will  be  borne  aloft  from 
glory  unto  glory!” 

I  feel  that  I  have  failed  in  giving  the  beauty  of  his 
words — the  sublimity  of  his  imagery, — indeed  I  might  as  well 
attempt  to  chain  a  sunbeam.  The  hour  and  the  “  man 
eloquent,"  the  burning  eye,  the  wrapt  face,  the  impassioned 
gestures — all  are  wanting — can  never  be  reproduced.  But 
this  may  give  a  feeble  conception  of  the  reality. 

I  think  I  am  perfectly  safe  in  asserting  that  Lisle  Smith 
never  had  an  enemy,  even  though  far  from  faultless.  But 
his  errors  never  injured  others.  He  was  loved  by  the  high 
and  low,  and  the  cold-blooded,  cynical,  and  fault-finding 
dared  not  deny  his  greatness  as  an  orator  and  his  large- 
hearted  and  sympathetic  liberality  as  a  man.  At  his  death 
one  of  the  old  and  most  striking  landmarks  was  blotted 
out.  He  was  a  member  of  the  “Old  Settlers’”  and  many 
other  societies,  and  was  universally  regretted.  As  far  as  I 
know  his  place  has  never  been  filled,  and  he  who  is  worthy 


S.  LISLE  SMITH. 


7 


to  step  in  his  shoes  will,  indeed,  have  a  proud  record.  Ah! 
how  many  hearts  beat  sadly  as  the  bell  tolled  for  him,  and 
how  many  trembling  lips  whispered,  “Brave  heart,  true 
friend,  hail  and  farewell.” 


GEORGE  DAVIS. 


The  musical  population  of  Chicago — id  csr,  old  Chicago 
will  remember,  with  feelings  of  pleasure  as  well  as  regret, 
the  man  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  brief 
biography. 

Though  English  by  the  accident  of  birth,  Mr.  Davis 
came  early  to  this  country — was  a  thorough  and  patriotic 
American  at  heart,  and  his  popularity  enabled  him  to  secure 
and  long  retain  the  office  of  County  Clerk. 

A  “fellow  of  infinite  jest,”  with  a  kind  word  and  smile 
for  everyone  who  approached  him,  he  had  troops  of  friends, 
who  remained  firm  until  the  very  last,  and  sorrowed  truly 
when  death  called  him  hence; — but  it  could  not  have  been 
to  the  land  of  silence,  for  from  the  choir  of  earth  he  must 
have  been  welcomed  by  the  sweet  singers  above. 

Mr.  Davis  was  the  prime  mover  in  all  charitable  con¬ 
certs,  as  he  was  the  most  noted  leader  of  his  time  in  the 
Episcopal  Church  (first  Saint  James’,  and,  subsequently, 
Trinity),  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  no  entertainment 
of  which  vocal  music  was  a  part  was  complete  without 
him.  Though  gifted  with  uncommon  powers  in  rendering 
the  plaintive  (who  does  not  remember  the  “Surf”?  and 
how  he  would  have  given  expression  to  “Annie  Laurie”!) 
yet  it  was  in  the  grotesque — the  serio-comic — the  broadly 
humorous  —  that  his  rare  mimicry  could  best  be  brought 


8 


(;i;or(;h  davis. 


into  play,  and  his  facial  expression  used  —  that  he  most  ex¬ 
celled,  and  will,  perhaps,  be  the  best  remembered.  There 
he  stood,  without  a  rival-  if.  indeed,  any  could  be  found 
in  the  “(harden  City"  at  the  present  time. 

Of  this,  I  need  but  mention  “The  Croat  Mogul" — sung 
as  it  was  by  him — acted  as  it  was  by  him — I  think  it  has 
never  been  equalled  upon  the  stage,  and  certainly  not 
surpassed.  ( )t  course,  there  were  many  others,  the  words 
of  which  he  himselt  set  to  music,  that  ever  caused  laughter, 
and  never  failed  to  “bring  down  the  house,"  but  the  song 
1  have  mentioned  was  the  most  riotous  in  expression, 
although 

“A  merrier  man, 

AN  ithin  I  lie  limits  of  becoming  mirth, 

I  never  spent  an  hour’s  talk  withal.” 

Of  the  power  exercised  by  his  singing,  1  mention  one 
striking  instance,  showing,  as  it  does,  not  alone  the  charm 
ot  a  rich  and  cultivated  voice,  but  the  respect  and  love 
in  which  he  was  held  by  the  citizens — one  so  great  as  to 
subdue  even  the  wild  waves  of  land  speculation  and  ever- 
grasping  avarice — to  make  the  might  of  ( )rpheus  no  fable 
and  the  lures  of  the  Sirens  no  myth. 

At  the  time  of  the  sale  of  Canal  lands  and  lots  in  Sep¬ 
tember,  1848,  Mr.  Davis  lived  upon  Canal  Street,  betweep 
Randolph  arid  Madison,  holding  a  /nasi  preemption  upon 
the  lot  on  which  his  house  was  budded.  The  property 
was  even  then  valuable,  though  the  fabulous  prices  at  which 
it  has  since  been  sold  were  never  dreamed  of,  and  many 
were  anxious  to  purchase.  The  adjoining  property  had 
been  disposed  of  at  an  extreme  figure,  and  when  the  auc¬ 
tioneer  (fames  A.  Marshall)  put  up  that  particular  lot. 
"Ceorge  trembled,  for  fear  it  would  lie  run  up  beyond 
his  ability  to  purchase.  It  was  well  known  that  he  was 
not  the  possessor  of  a  very  bountiful  supply  of  this  world’s 
goods  (so  liberal,  so  open-handed  and  open-hearted  a  man 
never  could  be),  and  he  whispered  his  trouble  to  some  of 


GEORGE  DAVIS. 


9 


his  friends,  and  it  instantly  became  known  to  the  crowd, 
whose  sympathy  was  not  slow  in  being  aroused.  His  bid 
(the  valuation)  was  made  and  then  a  song  was  called  for, 
and,  mounting  upon  the  top  of  an  omnibus,  he  sang  as, 
perhaps,  he  never  did  before,  or  after,  in  his  life — sang 
with  his  whole  heart,  and  eyes  misty  with  gratitude.  There 
was  no  bid  against  him — music  carried  the  day,  and,  though 
David  Leavitt  (the  President  of  the  Canal  Board)  fumed, 
he  was  powerless  to  stem  the  tide  of  popular  feeling,  and 
was  forced  to  see  a  valuable  lot  sacrificed  for  a  merely 
nominal  sum — in  fact,  sold  for  a  song! 

It  may  be  urged  that  Chicago  w'as  young  at  that  time 
— the  people  uncultivated,  and  not  competent  judges  ot 
music;  but  those  who  assert  such  a  thing  know'  little  of 
what  the}'  are  talking  about,  and  are  overwise  in  their  own 
conceit.  Ask  anyone  who  lived  then  and  is  living  now, 
and  he  will  tell  you  that  the  amateur  concerts  of  those  days 
shame  many  of  the  professionals  now' that  Mrs.  Harring¬ 
ton,  Mrs.  Dr.  J.  Jay  Stuart,  Henry  Tucker,  George  Davis, 
“the  sweet  girl  singer  of  St.  James’,”  and  others,*  have  never 
been  surpassed  for  purity  of  voices  and  skill  of  execution. 
Ah !  what  a  bright  galaxy  have  passed  away,  and  what  an 
addition  »has  been  made  to  that  matchless  choir  “whose 
strains  are  immortal  and  whose  vibrations  are  eternal." 

Mr.  Davis  was  essentially  a  social  man,  and  one  whose 
presence  w'as  ever  felt,  or  missed.  This  was  owing  to  his 
genial  face,  his  ever-bubbling  wit,  and  suave  manners,  hs 
much  as  to  his  great  musical  ability,  liberal  charities,  and 
warm  friendship.  No  sorrow'  or  want  ever  appealed  to  him 
in  vain,  and  if  it  was  litt-le  he  could  bestow,  that  little 
seemed  to  carry  with  it  a  blessing  and  a  benediction.  With 
his  leaving  Chicago  (to  settle  in  Detroit)  one  of  the  olden 
links  was  broken — one  of  the  most  familiar  of  the  old  faces 

*  Wm.  M.  Larrabee,  Moss  Botsford,  Charles  Collier,  Augustus  H. 
Burley,  and  Charles  Burley. 


IO 


GEORGE  DAVIS. 


gone;  but  those  who  remember  the  little,  two-story  brick 
building  that  stood  upon  the  North-East  corner  of  the 
Public  Square,  and  was  dignified  with  the  title  of  “Court 
House,”  will  rarely  think  of  it  without  associating  him  with 
it — forming,  as  he  did,  the  attraction  for  so  many  years. 

Mr.  Davis  was,  in  the  strongest  meaning  of  the  term,  a 
friend;  and,  as  far  as  my  recollection  serves,  never  had  an 
enemy — save  such  as  might  have  grown  up  from  his  fer¬ 
vent  espousal  of  the  case  of  the  Rev.  William  F.  Walker, 
in  the  then  celebrated  church  trial,  and  of  which  it  may  be 
said,  en  passant ,  was  bitter  in  the  extreme, — long:contin- 
ued  —  argued  with  great  eloquence,  but  which  left  a  bale¬ 
ful  shadow  over  the  congregation  for  a  long  time.* 

He  was  of  fine  physique  and  presence  and  carriage, 
something  of  a  bon  vivant  in  his  manner  of  living,  and 
it  was  a  matter  of  wonder  that  he  did  not  take  a  place 
as  speaker  as  well  as  singer,  for  certainly  he  had  all  the 
requisites — except,  perhaps,  assurance.  But  he  loved 
“sweet  melodies  married  to  words,”  better  than  all  else, 
and  though  there  was  much  of  the  artist  in  his  nature, 
and  he  sketched  well,  yet  music  absorbed  all  his  spare 
time,  and  even  trespassed  upon  the  hours  of  business. 

His  name  —  the  few  thoughts  here  jotted  c]pvvn  will 
re-open  the  pages  of  the  past  to  those  of  the  olden  time, 
and  his  friends  (and  who  were  not?)  will  drop  another 
tear  upon  his  grave,  and  kindly  brush  the  moss  from  the 
marble  above  it. 

*  The  array  of  legal  learning  present  it  would  be  difficult  to  dupli¬ 
cate  now,  for  in  it  were  interested  such  men  as  Justin  Butterfield, 
General  James  A.  McDougall,  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  John  J.  Brown,  and 
Patrick  Ballingall. 


PHILIP  MAXWELL,  M.D. 


The  Medical  Faculty  of  Chicago  would,  and  justly,  deem 
themselves  neglected  if  no  mention  was  made  of  the  Fal- 
staff  of  the  Profession  who,  to  use  one  -  of  his  own  argu¬ 
ments  why  he  should  be  elected  to  the  Legislature,  “carried 
weight  with  him!” 

In  physique ,  at  least,  this  was  true.  Dr.  Maxwell  was  a 
man  of  more  than  ordinary  stature  and  unctuousness;  yet 
barely  approximating  to  the  gross.  He  carried  his  two 
hundred  and  eighty  pounds  very  easily  and  gracefully,, 
though  that  is  more  than  could  have  been  truly  said  of  the 
favorite  grey  horse  upon  which  he  was  accustomed  to  dash 
through  the  streets  with  all  the  chic  and  erectness  of  a  sol¬ 
dier  and  the  abandon  and  insouciance  of  an  Indian.  In¬ 
deed,  so  active  and  light  were  his  movements,  for  one  of 
his  figure,  that  it  was  always  a  subject  of  remark,  especially 
when  mounting  and  dismounting.  So,  too,  was  it  when  he 
trippingly  danced  in  those  “good  old  days"  when  Chicago 
Society  was  a  unit  and  unbroken  by  cliques — by  the  with¬ 
drawal  of  the  creme  de  la  creme  from  the  “promiscous  gath¬ 
erings,”  and  the  setting  up  for  themselves  of  a  standard 
blazened  with  the  motto  “I  am  better  than  thou,’’ — a  most 
sublime  piece  of  egotism. 

Of  this  permit  a  word. 

The  last  general,  free,  and  genial  reunion  of  the  votaries 
of  Terpsichore  was  held  at  the  “Sherman  House,”  and  (I 
think)  known  as  the  “Mechanics  Ball."  It  was  gotten  up 
as  an  offset  to  that  of  the  “Young  Bachelors,”  a  very  select 
and  (supposed  to  bel  recherche  affair,  and  the  tickets  placed 
at  the  merely  nominal  sum  of  one  dollar,  including  car- 


I  2 


PHILIP  MAXWELL,  M.I). 


riages  and  refreshments.  To  carry  out  the  intention  of  the 
originators  (and  who,  by  the  way,  had  a  large  deficiency  of 
funds  to  make  up) — all  prominent  citizens  were  enlisted  as 
managers,  and  a  difficulty  arose  as  to  how  they  could  be 
classed  as  Mechanics. 

“Put  down  Doctor  Maxwell  as  a  Butcher,”  quoth  Col 
Swift. 

“And  Dick  Swift  as  a  Barber!"  (/.  <\,  Money-lender — 
shaver)  was  the  ready  retort  of  the  Physician. 

In  this  way  all  trouble  was  overcome  and  the  ball  was 
large — immense,  enthusiastic,  and  enjoyable.  It  was,  how- 
ever,  the  final  gasp  of  general  sociability,  and  the  united 
Chicago  of  the  old  was  known  nevermore.  But  to  return 
to  the  subject  proper. 

1'he  face  of  Doctor  Maxwell  was  in  keeping  with  his 
ponderous  frame.  It  was  broad,  massive,  pleasant,  and 
beaming  with  mirth  —  the  last  being,  the  key-note  of  his 
character.  It  had.  like  his  person  Falstaffian  breadth,  and 
depth,  and  proportion.  He  was  constantly  upon  the  qui 
rive  for  objects  of  merriment,  was  a 

“Rare  compound  of  oddity,  frolic,  and  fun, 

Who  relished  a  joke  and  rejoiced  in  a  pun.” 

Even  at  the  most  solemn  times  it  was  next  to  impossible 
for  him  to  keep  the  bubbles  from  rising  to  the  surface — the 
gas  of  frivolity  from  escaping.  Nature  had  cast  him  in  the 
mould  of  “Sir  John,”  and  study  and  love  of  the  character 
had  perhaps  tinged  his  own  until  it  had  grown  to  resemble 
the  would-be  lover  of  Madame  Ford  and  “sweet  Mistress 
Page.” 

I  know  such  was  the  charge  against  him — that  he  ever 
aped  the  burly  guzzler  of  sack  and  fancied  himself  the  suc¬ 
cessful  rival  of  the  wonderful  creation  of  Shakespeare. 
Granted  that  the  charge  was  true,  the  idiosyncrasy  was 
perfectly  harmless.  But  the  Doctor  cared  little  for  such 
insinuations,  though  he  could  be  “  testy  ”  at  times  and 


PI  II  LIT  MAXWELL,  M.D. 


13 

pour  out  the  vials  of  his  wrath  like  the  bursting  forth  of  a 
volcano.  He  was  contented  to  go  along  “larding  the  lean 
earth,-’  enjoying  a  laugh,  no  matter  at  whose  expense,  and 
making  merry  at  life,  come  in  what  shape  it  might,  though 
the  sunshine  and  shadows  in  such  lives  are  very  marked. 
But,  for  the  most  part,  he  was  remarkably  genial, — feeling 
his  own  weaknesses  as  well  as  those  of  others;  and,  in  his 
limited  sphere,  was  a  very  “king  of  misrule."  If  he  had 
made  the  “peculiarities  of  Falstaff  a  study,  and  reproduced 
them  in  his  daily  walk  and  conversation,  it  was  without 
malice  to  others — on  the  contrary,  for  their  amusement. 

As  a  rule,  he  carried  sunshine  in  his  face  and  heart  and 
a  quilp  upon  the  end  of  his  tongue — was  at  his  richest, 
when  he  could  get  a  good  joke  upon  his  brother  professors 
of  the  curative  art — Stuart,  Egan,  and  Eldridge — when 
firing  double  shotted  guns  and  entire  batteries  at  a  time  at 
the  Faculty  of  Rush  Medical  College — and  what  stories 
the  old  wooden  office  in  Clark  Street  could  tell  were  speech 
given  and  had  it  not  long  since  been  dust  and  ashes. 

Perhaps  the  highest  relish  of  the  Doctor  was  humbug¬ 
ging  the  credulous  with  Munchausen  stories,  equalling  any 
of  the  “Fat  Knight."  Instances  of  this  rise  thickly  as 
memory  turns  back  to  the  man  and  the  past  is  vividly  pict¬ 
ured  again.  But  one  must  suffice,  though  the  temptation 
to  fill  pages  is  great: 

On  a  bitter  morning  in  early  winter,  he  entered  a  hotel, 
drank  a  glass  of  water  (he  was  habitually  temperate),  rub¬ 
bed  his  hands  complacently  and  discoursed  pompously 
upon  the  merits  of  bathing. 

“Surely,"  exclaimed  one  of  the  loungers  around  the 
glowing  stove,  “you  have  not  been  bathing  this  cold  morn¬ 
ing?" 

“Of  course  I  have  —  swimming,  Sir,  swimming,"  was  the 
answer. 

“Where  Doctor?” 

“  In  the  lake." 


14  PHILIP  MAXWELL,  M.D. 

“The  lake?  Impossible!  It  must  be  frozen  along  the 
shores.” 

“Yes — certainly — yes,  but  1  make  it  a  practice  of  going 
in  every  morning  as  long  as  my  weight  will  break  the  ice;" 
and  he  departed  leaving  his  hearers  puzzled  as  to  the  truth 
of  the  story — and  which  did  not  contain  a  particle  of  it. 

It  was  Doctor  Maxwell  who  made  the  sweeping  and  far 
from  complimentary  criticism  upon  the  late  Edwin  Forrest. 
Although  already  published  let  me  introduce  It  here  in 
brief: 

The  “great  tragedian”  was  playing  his  first  engagement 
in  Chicago,  had  finished  for  the  night,  was  going  to  his 
hotel  down  the  street  immediately  preceded  by  the  Doc¬ 
tor  and  his  party.  His  opinion  was  asked  and  the  answer 
given  in  such  boisterous  tones  that  Forrest  could  not  fail 
to  have  heard  it — -“A  brute  force  and  native  stupidity 
actor!"  Whether  just  or  not,  it  was  his  opinion,  and  the 
world  was  never  kept  in  doubt  as  to  what  he  thought. 

There  was  much  in  the  character  and  mannerism  of  Dr. 
Maxwell  that  reminds  me  very  forcibly  of  the  Lawrence 
Baythorn  of  Dicken’s  “Bleak  House”  more  than  Falstafif. 
There  was  the  same  bluff,  hearty,  brusque  fashion  of  greet¬ 
ing — the  same  noisy  explosions — the  same  extravagant  ex¬ 
pressions  and  denunciations — the  same  tremendous  bursts 
of  laughter — the  same  ferocious  threatening — and  the  same 
tender  heart  breathing  within  the  massive  breast  that  would 
turn  aside  for  fear  of  trampling  on  a  worm,  even  while 
breathing  tornadoes  of  wordy  wrath  and  hurling  wordy 
thunderbolts  of  wholesale  destruction.  But  these  things 
(when  not  uttered  and  acted  in  jest,  as  was  frequently  the 
case,  served  the  more  to  clear  the  sky;  and  the  man- — whom 
a  stranger  might  have  looked  upon  as  bloodthirsty — was  as 
kind  in  reality,  as  incapable  of  doing  harm  as  a  child— a 
singular  combination  of  Baythorn  and  Falstaff. 


i5 


JOHN  J.  BROWN. 


My  introduction  to  the  subject  of  this  brief  memoir  was 
so  peculiar  and  striking  that  it  could  not  be  forgotten,  par¬ 
ticularly  when  taken  in  connection  with  the  man — one  al¬ 
most  sui  generis.  It  must  have  occurred  very  soon  after  his 
advent  in  the  Garden  City,  for  I  had  never  seen  or  even 
heard  of  him. 

I  was  returning  late  one  evening  from  a  visit  to  a  sick 
friend.  There  was  a  wild  storm  abroad.  Clouds  were 
flying  in  tumultuous  confusion,  driven  by  the  fierce  North- 
wind;  rain  was  falling  heavily;  the  lake  was  lashed  into 
foam  and  tossing  in  great  billows  upon  the  shore;  the  thun¬ 
der  was  booming  and  crashing,  and  ever  and  anon  the  light¬ 
ning  played  around  with  dazzling  and  fitful  fury.  It  was 
not  such  a  night  as  one  would  willingly  be  abroad,  and  I 
was  breasting'  and  struggling  against  the  elemental  war  up 
Michigan  Avenue,  in  the  vicinity  of  Randolph  Street,  when 
a  more  than  usually  terrific  burst  of  thunder  caused  me  to 
pause — a  vivid  flash  of  lightning  to  glance  anxiously  around 
and  I  saw  a  man  standing  upon  the  lake-side  of  the  Avenue 
gesticulating  fiercely,  and  in  the  lull  that  followed,  I  could 
distinctly  hear  him  talking  to  himself. 

Curiosity  could  not  be  repressed.  I  fancied  it  must  be 
one  insane;  and,  forgetting  the  storm  and  darkness,  the 
fearful  pealing  of  the  thunder,  the  rain,  and  the  dangerous 
play  of  the  lightning,  I  crossed  and  drew  near  to  his  side. 
And  as  I  did  so,  there  came  to  my  ears  the  well-known 
words  of  Byron  : 


1 6 


JOHN  J.  BROWN. 


“The  sky  is  changed  !  and  such  a  change!  Oh!  night, 

And  storm  and  darkness,  ye  are  wondrous  strong, 

Yet  lovely  in  your  strength,  as  in  the  light 
Of  a  dark  eye  is  woman  !  Far  along, 

From  peak  to  peak,  the  rattling  crag-,  among 
Leaps  the  live  thunder !  Not  from  one  lone  cloud, 

But  every  mountain  now  hath  found  a  tongue, 

And  Jura  answers,  through  her  misty  shroud, 

Back  to  the  joyous  Alps,  who  called  to  her  aloud!” 

Who  could  be  quoting  poetry  at  such  a  time  and  in  such 
a  situation?  If  curiosity  had  been  aroused  before,  it  stood 
toptoed  now.  I  drew  back,  thrilling  with  a  strange  fear, 
and  waited  for  the  next  dash  to  reveal  form  and  feature. 
When  it  came,  I  looked  upon  a  stranger  who  would  have 
impressed  himself  upon  any  assembly.  The  picture  rises 
before  me  now,  weird  almost  as  then,  when  the  background 
was  foaming  and  hissing  waters,  and  black  chaos  of  sky, 
and  the  shadows  following  the  flashes  eeine  ones. . 

The  figure  was  tall,  angular,  slightly  bent,  and  wrapped 
in  a  cloak  ;  the  face  sallow,  somewhat  hollow,  with  high 
cheek  bones,  and  eyes  deep  set,  heavily  browed  and  lashed, 
and  with  more  than  usual  power  of  focusing  and  penetrat¬ 
ing.  'The  head  was  held  firmly,  straight,  defiantly,  and 
covered  with  long,  leonine  hair,  blown  fitfully  about  by  the 
wind.  The  voice  sonorous  and  emphatic. 

That  man  was  John  J.  Brown,  a  newly  arrived  lawyer,  as 
1  came  later  to  know,  and  the  impression  of  him  then  re¬ 
ceived  (almost  boy  as  1  was)  without  doubt  ever  after 
colored  my  view  of  his  character,  and  something  of  it  may 
linger  even  now,  despite  the  dust  and  iconoclastic  power  of 
so  many  years. 

John  J.  Brown  was  naturally  a  retiring,  misanthropic  man. 
The  lenses  through  which  he  looked  at  life  seemed  to  be 
ever  clouded — the  glimpses  of  sunshine  rare.  Whether  his 
nature  was  naturally  morbid — whether  untoward  circum¬ 
stances  had  made  it  so,  I  never  had  the  means  of  knowing: 
but  that  he  was  uncommonly  shy  and  sensitive,  and  ever 


JOHN  J.  BROWN. 


1 7 


looked  at  the  darkest  side,  I  am  of  opinion  will  not  be 
questioned.  He  lacked,  perhaps,  the  rebound,  the  recu¬ 
perative  power  to  recover  from  a  blow  or  loss;  and  he  made 
its  sting  deeper  by  brooding  upon  it.  As  a  boy,  1  think  this 
must  have  been  the  case — as  a  man,  standing  breast-high 
and  proud-headed  in  genius,  learning,  and  eloquence' 
among  his  fellows  it  certainly  was  so ;  and  none  who  knew 
him  will  deny  the  assertion.  “ Knew  him!"  I  have  said; 
but  were  there  any  who  did  so?  I  doubt  it  very  much — 
doubt  if  he  ever  had  any  intimate  associates — any  to  whom 
he  fully  unbosomed  himself — to  whom  he  revealed  his 
inner  heart  and  the  motives  that  were  the  mainspring  of 
his  actions.  And  if  the  olden  mythological  fables  had  in 
them  aught  of  truth,  it  was  Pluto  that  hovered  about  his 
cradle,  and  Niobe  and  Melpomene  that  were  his  attendant 
spirits  through  life. 

This  gave  a  sombre  coloring  to  almost  his  every  act  and 
thought.  The  shadows  were  so  dense  behind-  the  sunrays 
that  they  could  never  be  entirely  hidden — the  gold  not  suf¬ 
ficiently  bright  to  effectually  curtain  the  gloom.  In  all  his 
forensic  efforts  this  was  apparent  (at  least  to  my  mind),  and 
the  highest  flights  of  fancy  seemed  to  be  made  with  wings 
against  which  beat  the  rain.  But,  notwithstanding  this, 
they  were  of  great  power,  legal  acumen,  and  sound  law. 
His  mind  in  this  respect  was  singularly  critical  and  analyti¬ 
cal.  The  very  things  that  militated  against  general  socia¬ 
bility  and  the  power  of  self-forgetfulness— in  drinking  in 
the  perfume  of  the  flower,  unmindful  of  the  cruel  thorn  and 
poisoned  root,  gave  him  the  more  taste  and  ability  for 
research-  -more  concentration  of  mind  upon  the  salient 
points  he  intuitively  and  keenly  appreciated,  and  ever  after 
retained  ;  and  this  was  so,  not  alone  in  the  law,  but  in  all 
he  read — history,  poetry,  philosophy,  theology — and  the 
most  apropos  quotations  were  ever  at  his  command. 

I  have  spoken  of  his  hair  being  long  and  tawny  as  the 
mane  of  a  lion.  It  was  so  in  fact,  was  very  noticable  and 


i8 


JOHN  J.  BROWN. 


first  called  attention.  But  it  was  his  eyes  that  unwaveringly 
fixed  it,  for,  at  times,  when  his  soul  was  fully  aroused,  they 
literally  appeared  to  burn.  I  use  the  term  advisedly,  and 
can  find  none  more  appropriate.  When  indulging  in  his 
wonderful  and  bitter  powers  of  sarcasm;  when  forgetful  of 
self,  and  the  ebb  and  flood  of  sorrowful  waves,  in  the  mas¬ 
tery  of  his  subject — when  all  the  shadows  were  exorcised, 
his  eyes  gleamed  with  a  strange  phosphorescent  light  and 
exerted  a  strong,  subtle,  magnetic  power  that  was  not  to  be 
resisted.  In  that  respect,  he  was  very  like  Rufus  Choate, 
of  whom  it  has  been  said,  11  no  one  could  report  if  they  looked 
ut  him!”  The  same  thing  was,  in  a  great  measure,  true  of 
John  J.  Brown,  as  I  learned  by  experience  when  attempt¬ 
ing  to  reproduce  his  words  upon  paper,  during  a  celebrated 
trial.  I  watched  the  speaker  and  forgot  pencil  and  paper  1 

Looking  calmly  back  now,  after  a  decade  and  more  have 
•  passed,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  his  greatest  power  was  in 
scathing  denunciation  and  intense  bitterness.  I  would  not 
be  understood  that  such  was  the  natural  status  of  his  mind, 
for  I  do  not  believe  it.  On  the  contrary,  I  had  occasion  to 
know  that  the  milk  of  human  kindness  had  not  soured 
within  his  veins,  and  there  was  much  of  the  gentleness  and 
tenderness  of  woman  in  his  composition.  But  he  was  un¬ 
doubtedly  the  great  master  of  withering  and  remorseless 
irony  when  aroused,  of  satirical  and  scornful  gibe  then  at 
the  Chicago  Bar — of  sarcasm  that  when  given  full  rein  had 
something  almost  sardonic  in  it.  To  this  end,  his  vehe¬ 
ment  gestures,  his  eyes,  his  tall,  flexible  person,  and  his 
leonine  hair,  all  added  emphasis,  and  woe  to  those  upon 
whom  the  razorlike  edge  of  his  tongue  fell  when  unbridled. 

Two  particular  instances  drift  up  from  the  depths  of 
memory.  The  first  is  that  of  the  trial  of  Rev.  Wm.  F. 
Walker,  elsewhere  mentioned  : 

The  opening  of  his  speech  was  calm,  graceful,  even  beau¬ 
tiful.  He  said,  “  I  did  not  expect  to  be  present  at  this 
trial.  1  thought  the  blue  waves  of  the  lake  would  have 


JOHN  ].  BROWN. 


19 


rolled  and  sparkled  between  me  and  it.”  But  as  he  pro¬ 
gressed,  as  he  fully  gave  himself  up  to  the  subject  he 
warmed,  grew  deeper,  stronger  in  thought,  more  forcible  in 
imagery,  his  nerves  quivered,  his  hair  was  disordered,  and 
his  eyes  flashed  as  burning  steel.  Any  looker  on  must 
have  been  reminded  of  the  gathering  and  bursting  of  a 
storm.  And  when  at  its  height  it  was  terrible.  When  he 
pictured  the  manufacturing  of  the  “patchwork  slanders” — 
of  those  professing  the  broadest  humanity  and  Christianity, 
coming  “to  the  altar  with  the  word  of  God  in  their  hands 
and  the  devil  in  their  hearts” — when  he  hurled  wholesale 
scorn  and  infamy  upon  their  heads — when  he  spoke  of 
their  “  supreme  and  besotted  ignorance  and  worse  than 
heathenish  bigotry”  he  rose  to  such  an  altitude  of  invective 
that  few  who  had  awakened  his  wrath  could  remain,  and 
even  the  ordinary  listener  felt  a  shivering  awe  and  dread. 

The  second  time  was  in  a  strictly  legal  encounter,  and 
with  foemen  worthy  of  his  steel : 

One  of  his  antagonists  he  (figuratively)  held  up  by  his 
long  hair,  so  that  all  could  see  him,  and  painted  him  in 
such  colors  as  made  even  the  fiends  appear  more  just  and 
pure — made  him  act  the  most  vile  monster  possible  with 
humanity — cut  so  deeply  that  the  audience  could  not  but 
pity.  Turning  from  the  fierce  wirlwind  of  denunciation,  he 
addressed  the  other  in  low  and  measured  tones — reminded 
him  of  his  position  in  the  Church,  and  saying:  “I  have  no 
words  for  him.  The  reproof  must  come  from  a  higher 
source,  even  from  the  God  he  pretends  to  worship,”  he 
fixed  him  with  his  eyes,  and  opening  a  bible  read  the  most 
bitterly  appropriate  chapter  contained  between  its  lids. 

They  had  raised  the  lion,  and  having  felt  the  full  weight 
of  his  claws  and  power  of  his  teeth,  paid  dearly  for  their 
attack. 

I  know  it  was  customary  to  compare  John  J.  Brown  with 
Justin  Butterfield  in  this  respect,  but  I  never  thought  the 
comparison  tenable.  Butterfield  was  a  man  of  undoubted 


20 


JOHN  J.  BROWN. 


power  of  retaliation,  and  legal  knowledge,  but  he  lacked' 
(in  my  judgment)  the  keenness  of  Brown.  Were  I  to  in¬ 
dulge  in  a  simile,  I  should  say,  that,  while  from  his  heavy 
blows  he  might  have  been  Richard,  his  rival  was  the  Sala- 
din— -the  one  would  crush  with  a  gigantic  battle-axe,  the 
other  cut  to  the  heart  with  a  blade  of  Toledo  temper. 

As  to  legal  requirements,  John  J.  Brown  stood  high. 
His  mind  was  a  treasure-house  as  was  shown  during  the 
brief  time  he  taught  a  law  school.  Had  his  natural  tem¬ 
perament  been  different — had  his  health  been  better — had 
life  been  more  roseate,  he  would,  as  the  years  rolled  on,  have 
made  for  himself  a  high  and  honored  name.  But  he  never 
mingled  much  with  his  fellows;  and  it  was  only  when  inter¬ 
ested  and  awakened  in  the  argument  of  a  case  that  he  re¬ 
vealed  what  he  truly  was — only  then  that  the  shadow  was 
ever  lifted  from  heart  and  brain. 

The  particulars  of  his  death  were  not  familiar  to  me.  1 
have  a  faint  recollection  of  some  mystery  shrouding  it — 
that  his  soul  found  the  Nepenthe,  the  “surcease  from  sor¬ 
row”  otherwise  than  surrounded  by  loving  hearts.  Be  that 
as  it  might,  his  life  appeared  to  be  a  fitful  one,  and  May  he 
sleep  well  1  More  sunny  natures  have  gone  before,  and 
have  followed  him,  but  no  stronger,  no  more  legal,  none 
more  intense  have  taken  their  places  in  the  green  tent 
“whose  curtains  never  outward  swing."  Aye,  and  in  the 
younger  ranks  of  his  profession  who  can  claim  the  place  he 
left  vacant?  When  some  one  shall  write  at  length  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  Bar  of  Chicago,  upon  its  highest  page  will  be 
found  the  name  of  John  J.  Brown.  Peace,  eternal  peace 
to  his  ashes. 


21 


RICHARD  L.  WILSON. 


The  name  of  Richard  L.  Wilson  was  so  long  and  inti¬ 
mately  connected  with  the  Chicago  Journal  that  it  is 
familiar  as  “household  words”,  not  only  to  the  olden  time 
readers  of  that  paper,  but  to  all  who  dwelt  in  the  City, 
County,  and  it  might  almost  be  said,  State. 

His  personal  popularity,  as  well  as  his  political  influence, 
was  widespread  and  universally  admitted,  although  it  was 
an  impossibility  for  any  one  occupying  the  position  he  held 
to  be  without  enemies.  Yet  these  came  from  tilts  in  the 
arena  of  politics  far  more  (if  not  entirely)  than  any  other 
cause.  For  what  he  thought  right  he  labored  manfully — 
wielded  a  caustic  pen,  and  threw  hot-shot  directly  into  the 
camp  of  the  enemy,  regardless  of  the  consequences.  But 
it  was  the  cause,  not  the  individual,  he  would  cripple — the 
batteries  he  would  unmask  and  silence — the  rifle-pits  he 
would  cause  to  surrender,  not  the  men  of  which  they  were 
composed.  He  believed  the  salvation  of  the  country  de¬ 
pended  upon  Henry  Clay  and  the  Whig  Party;  and  it 
would  have  been  very  difficult  for  a  “  trumpet-tongued 
angel”  to  have  convinced  him  to  the  contrary,  for  his  was 
a  positive  nature. 

To  those  who  stood  out  of  the  reach  of  the  flying  splin¬ 
ters  and  de'bris,  it  was  amusing  to  see  how  he  would  de¬ 
molish  the  long  “  leaders  ”  of  his  antagonists  with  a  few 
words.  As  a  writer  of  short,  pithy,  pointed  paragraphs  I 
never  knew  his  equal  among  the  Chicago  editorial  fraterni¬ 
ty.  This  was  his  forte,  and  in  it  he  resembled  Prentice, 
of  the  Louisville  Journal ,  more  than  any  other  of  his  day. 


">  "> 


RICHARD  I..  WILSON! 


If  grape-shot,  and  canister,  and  shrapnel  were  fired  by 
broadsides,  he  answered  with  a  single  shot  from  a  well- 
aimed  rifled  gun,  which  caused  more  havoc  than  all  their 
noise  and  wholesale  missiles.  “Grandpa  Dutch”  might  fire 
column  after  column  of  “double-leaded”  matter  at  his 
head,  and  “  Dick  "  would  send  back  three  lines  that  would 
drive  even  '■'•Banks!  Basics!  BANKS!”  from  the  brain  of 
the  old  gentleman,  for  a  time  at  least. 

In  this,  more  than  any  other  way,  he  made  his  editorial 
power  felt,  though  he  was  sometimes  tempted  to  indulge  in 
it  to  excess,  with  regard  to  the  Democrat ,  and  its  elongated' 
proprietor,  and  laughingly  own  that  he  might  as  well  have 
attempted  to  perforate  the  thick  skin  of  a  rhinoceros  with 
mustard  seed.  It  was,  however,  a  favorite  pastime  with  all 
the  knights  of  the  quill  of  the  day — did  no  harm — served 
as  a'" safety  valve,  and  “Long  John”  continued  to  wax  fat 
and  rich  and  carry  the  Congressional  district  in  his  breeches 
pocket  the  same  as  before. 

Save  for  these  pointed  squibs  that  generally  pierced 
through  the  armor  of  his  antagonist  as  if  it  had  been  but 
silken  folds,  Mr.  Wilson  (to  the  best  of  my  knowledge) 
indulged  but  little  in  authorship,  though  famous  for  writ¬ 
ing  toasts,  and  good  ones,  for  public  dinners.  The  only 
instance  of  his  “book  making”  that  came  under  my  obser¬ 
vation  was  “  Short  Rave/ings  from  a  Long  Yarti ” — a  story 
of  Spanish  life  and  adventure,  and  even  that,  I  believe, 
was  “licked  into  shape”  by  another.  But  Mr.  Wilson 
furnished  the  data,  supervised,  and  was  entitled  to  the  lion's 
share  of  the  credit. 

As  1  have  already  stated,  long  articles  were  not  either 
his  forte  or  his  propensity.  His  spirit  was  too  restless  for 
such  drudgery.  It  was  with  him  aim  and  fire.  He  could 
not  patiently  still-hunt — could  not  follow  a  long  trail  Ind¬ 
ian-like  to  secure  a  scalp.  His  nature  was  too  ardent — he 
leaped  over  boundaries  too  rapidly  for  any  such  plodding, 
and  if  an  enemy  he  was  an  open  one.  Every  fibre  of  his 


RICHARD  I-  WILSON.  23 

soul  would  have  scorned  lurking  in  ambush,  striking  with¬ 
out  giving  an  opportunity  of  defense,  stabbing  from  behind 
the  back  in  the  dark.  Such  things  were  altogether  foreign 
to  his  nature.  If  impulsive  he  was  honorable;  if  prone  to 
criticise,  just. 

Of  what  his  position  would  have  been  in  the  late  un¬ 
happy  fratricidal  struggle  no  one  who  knew  him  will  for  a 
moment  question.  It  could  have  been  but  one  thing,  and 
into  the  side  he  espoused  he  would  have  thrown  himself 
body  and  soul.  A  divided  country  would  never  have  been 
tolerated  by  him,  even  in  thought.  The  Union,  as  he 
looked  upon  it,  was  ever  to  be  a  unit,  and  rested  upon  a 
foundation  as  lasting  as  time. 

His  patriotism  was  shown  in  the  fatal  rejoicing  that  crip- 
pled  him  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  The  news  of  the 
battle  of  Buena  Vista,  that  sent  an  electric  thrill  through 
the  land,  stirred  his  breast  to  its  lowest  depths.  He  threw 
himself  into  the  ranks  of  those  who  celebrated  the  victory 
-was  the  moving  and  master-spirit;  but  the  premature 
explosion  of  the  cannon  used  left  a  terrible  personal  record. 
And  it  showed,  too,  the  iron  nerve  of  the  man — a  will 
almost  matchless  in  firmness — a  scorn  of  physical  suffering 
unparalelled — a  power  to  endure  that  was  beyond  belief. 

1  was  among  the  first  to  reach  him,  after  the  accident, 
having  been  a  looker  on  at  but  a  little  distance.  I  helped 
to  carry  him  into  the  Sherman  House,  and,  consequently, 
know  of  what  I  write.  To  describe  his  injuries  here  would 
not  only  be  useless,  but  create  doubt.  No  one,  who  did 
not  see  him,  would  believe  a  man  could  be  so  mangled  and 
live.  It  was  a  sight  that  made  many  a  heart  sick,  and 
many  a  strong  nature  grow  faint.  This  was  the  case  with 
his  regular  physician.  He  attempted  the  necessary  surgery, 
shook  like  an  aspen,  and  was  forced  to  give  up  the  task  to 
another.  And  during  the  lengthy  ordeal,  one  of  most 
terrible  suffering,  Mr.  Wilson  lay,  with  compressed  lips 
—  uttered  no  groan  —  never  spoke  of  what  he  was  so  hero- 


-’4 


RICHARD  L.  WILSON. 


jcally  enduring,  save  once.  As  a  large,  ragged  Splinter 
ot  the  ramrod  was  being  removed  from  its  place  under  and 
intertwisted  with  the  biceps  muscles  of  the  right  arm,  he 
said,  in  answer  to  a  question  of  a  friend:  “Yes,  that  hurts.” 
1  hat  was  all;  and.  taken  as  a  whole,  it  was  a  masterly  in¬ 
stance  of  patient  endurance-  a  literal  triumph  of  mind  over 
matter.  And  this  same  indomitable  will  and  nerve  enabled 
him  to  soon  again  resume  his  duties;  but  the  injuries  ever 
after  affected  him  and  sapped  his  life. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  a  genial  companion  and  a  true  friend, 
was  liberal  beyond  his  means  when  his  sympathies  were 
enlisted,  and  never  stopped  to  coldly  count  the  cost  of  a 
favor.  1  here  was  nothing  selfish  or  phlegmatic  about  him. 
Every  action  sprang  from  the  dictates  of  a  manly-beating 
heart,  and  the  faults  (if  they  can  justly  so  be  called)  that 
always  cling  to  such  men  were  attributable  to  the  mental 
combination  —  to  the  actual  necessity  of  excitement  and  ac¬ 
tion — to  the  never  letting  “I  dare  not  wait  upon  I  would,” 
to  (in  practical  life  at  least)  the  Napoleonic  motto  that 
—"the  end  justifies  the  means” —  to  the  more  than  usual 
social  element — to  a  remarkably  vivid  appreciation  of  the 
humorous — to  his  peculiar  surroundings — to  the  association 
into  which  he  was  forced-  to  the  age  in  which  he  lived. 

Sportsmen  of  the  days  of  Richard  I,.  Wilson  will  remem¬ 
ber  him  with  pleasure.  He  was  a  keen  lover  of  the  gun 
and  skilful  in  its  use.  If  prairie  chickens  arose  within  rea¬ 
sonable  distance,  it  was  bad  for  the  chickens!  Had  his 
early  life  been  different,  he  would  have  enjoyed,  as  only 
such  enthusiasts  can  enjoy,  living  with  nature  in  her  wildest 
moods  and  made  his  mark  as  hunter,  pioneer,  even  “Indian 
fighter,  tor  fear  was  not  a  component  part  of  his  being. 
He  was  the  life  of  the  camp  fire  as  he  was  foremost  in 
quest  of  game,  and  though  he  never  “strung  rhymes”  had 
much  of  the  poetic,  and  saw  all  that  was  beautiful  in  sky, 
water,  woodland,  and  treeless  plain.  Glimmerings  of  this 
crop  out  in  the  little  book  I  have  mentioned,  and  it  was 


RICHARD  L.  WILSON. 


when  afar  from  the  haunts  of  men  that  it  shone  the  bright¬ 
est.  sparkled  the  most  brilliantly,  rather  than  when  weary 
and  chafed  by  the  editorial  harness.  Then  he  gave  loose 
rein  to  his  thoughts,  flung  aside  the  rare  power  of  conden¬ 
sation  that  made  his  newspaper  paragraphs  mosaics  of 
terse  pointedness — indulged  freely  in  anecdote,  and  jest, 
and  repartee  —  gave  graphic  descriptions  of  hunter’s  life 
that  spiced  to  perfection  the  birds  broiling  upon  the  glow¬ 
ing  coals.  Then,  also,  he  showed  as  he  never  did  at 
any  other  time,  the  wealth  of 'his  imagination,  the  power  (if 
trained)  to  throw  off  page  after  page  of  brilliant  matter — to 
make  a  remarkably  readable  book.  That  he  never  did  was 
often  a  wonder  to  his  friends.  It  might  have  come  with 
his  years  (if  spared)  had  it  not  been  for  the  accident  that 
made  penmanship  severe  labor,  and  despite  his  buoyant 
heart  and  resolute  will  must  have  left  a  legacy  of  shadows. 
That  he  did  not  is  to  be  regretted.  It  could  not  have  been 
otherwise  than  valuable  and  interesting. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  an  ardent  admirer  of  and  believer  in  the 
destiny  of  Chicago.  He  always  predicted  for  it  a  bright 
and  glorious  future,  and  he  foresaw  something  of  its  great¬ 
ness.  Not  all  —  perhaps  not  one  tithe.  Who  could? 
There  was  no  prophetic  ken  keen  enough,  no  imagination 
sufficiently  vivid  to  grasp  the  possibilities  when  the  terrible 
baptism  and  purification  of  fire  should  have  been  perfect. 

Any  who  foretold  what  would  arise  from  the  ashes  would 
have  been  deemed  insane.  But  the  mind  of  Richard  L. 
AVilson  grasped  much  of  what  has  been — what  will  yet  be. 
He  realized  the  importance  of  its  geographical  position — 
its  immense  business  resources  and  activity,  and  that,  sitting 
as  it  did,  drinking  in  the  commerce  of  the  chain  of  lakes 
upon  one  side,  and  stretching  but  its  broad  arms  of  prairie 
upon  the  other,  it  must  become  great.  And  in  every  way 
he  assisted  to  its  present.  This  his  paper  enabled  him  to 
do — for  this  he  labored  in  season  and  out  of  season — for 
this  he  created  friends  by  his  personal  attractiveness — and 


26 


RICHARD  L.  WILSON. 


for  this,  if  the  departed  have  power  to  return  to  the  earth 
and  minister  to  the  wants  of  the  living,  his  loyal  spirit  yet 
lingers  over  the  city  of  his  love  and  haunts  the  inner  shrine 
of  the  Chicago  Journal. 


LEWIS  C.  KERCHIVAL. 


Probably,  very  few  of  the  younger  generation  in  Chicago 
have  any  distinct  remembrance  of  Lewis  C.  Kerchival. 
Hut  such  as  do  must  have  been  impressed  by  the  striking 
points  in  a  character  that  stood  out  strongly  from  his  fel¬ 
lows. 

The  elder  citizens— those  who  still  linger  in  green  old 
age  and  ripe  usefulness,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  with  plenty 
ot  this  world’s  goods,  after  the  great  majority  of  their  associ¬ 
ates  have  passed  away,  will  recall  him  as  “Inspector  of  the 
Port  (with  commerce  that  was  a  laughable  burlesque  upon 
the  present),  and  later  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  with  an  of¬ 
fice  in  the  second  story  of  the  tumble-down  wooden  tene¬ 
ment  (Clark's  Hardware  Store),  on  the  north-east  corner  of 
Take  and  Clark  Streets,  and  directly  facing  the  famous 
“Saloon  Building,’-  a  history  of  which  would  be  a  history  of 
almost  all  the  public  meetings,  and  gatherings,  and  socie¬ 
ties  of  early  Chicago. 

Lewis  C.  Kerchival  rises  before  me  to-day  as  distinct  as 
when  I  used  to  meet  him  in  the  streets,  straight  as  a  pine, 
unbending  as  an  oak,  defiant  and  tough  as  a  hickory;  with 
his  tall,  muscular  form,  his  grizzled  hair,  blue,  brass-but¬ 
toned  coat,  and  his  soldier-like  bearing,  proud  as  Julius 
Ctesar  and  imperious  as  the  Czar;  always  neatly  dressed, 
with  cleanly-shaved  lace  and — a  rara  avis  in  those  muddy 
times — well-polished  boots. 


LEWIS  C.  KERCHIVAL. 


2  7 


Should  I  compare  him  with  any  other  well-known  char¬ 
acter  it  would  be  Andrew  Jackson.  The  mental  calibre  of 
the  men,  as  well  as  their  physique,  was  much  the  same. 
Each  knew  and  did  not  shrink  from  “taking  the  responsi¬ 
bility”  of  any  act  they  thought  right — had  no  dread  of,  per¬ 
haps  never  even  gave  a  thought  to  the  consequences.  The 
“by  the  Eternal”  of  the  President  was  the  animus  of  the 
citizen,  and  I  often  fancied  (as  did  others)  that  they  were 
very  alike  in  looks. 

Tire  hair  of  Col.  Iverchival  was  a  true  index  of  his  charac¬ 
ter.  It  was  kept  cut  short,  and  every  “particular  one”  of 
the  dense  growth  stood  stiffly,  savagely  erect,  without  de¬ 
pending  upon,  and  as  if  scorning  the  support  of,  the  others; 
and  had  an  individuality  of  its  own — had  a  gladiatorial 
presence  and  a  challenge  to  combat.  So,  too,  was  it  with 
the  man.  He  appeared  to  snuff  the  battle  from  afar,  like 
an  old  war-horse,  and  had  the  most  sublime  contempt  for 
those  who  did  not  agree  with  him.  There  was  something 
grand  in  his  attitude,  whether  right  or  wrong,  though  it  is 
very  much  to  be  doubted  if  he  ever  admitted  the  possibility 
of  the  latter.  That  would  have  been  a  human  weakness, 
of  which  he  could  never  have  believed  himself  guilty.  What 
he  thought  and  said  must  be  right,  and  it  was  impudence  of 
*  the  most  gross  character  in  any  to  question.  And  if  the 
disputant  happened  to  be  young  1  Ah  !  then  Lear  was 
rivalled.  But  his  passion  was  like 

PA  full  hot  horse,  who  being  allowed  his  way, 

Self-mettle  tires  him.” 

And  he  soon  became  the  calm  gentleman  again;  for  under 
all  the  heat  there  was  a  tender,  almost  womanly  heart,  and 
the  eyes  that  one  moment  flashed  baleful  lightnings  would 
the  next  be  misty  with  genuine  tears. 

Of  the  more  than  iron  will,  memory  will  reproduce  many 
examples  to  the  minds  of  those  no  longer  young,  whose 
eyes  kindly  rest  upon  these  pages.  A  few  are  so  strikingly 


28 


LKWIS  C.  KERCHIVAL. 


characteristic  of  the  man  that  I  cannot  refrain  from  giving 
them  place.  And  I  do  so  the  more  willingly  as  one  in¬ 
stance  proves  beyond  all  cavil  his  inward,  native  goodness, 
no  matter  how  warped  at  times,  and  a  determination  for 
the  right. 

The  habits  of  Mr.  Kerchival,  in  the  matter  of  drinking, 
had  not  been  good.  It  was  the  crying  sin  of  the  era — the 
most  serious  blight  upon  the  escutcheon  of  the  fair  young 
City.  His  indulgences  had  grown  upon  him.  Inebriety 
became  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception,  and  a  speedy 
and  dishonored  grave  appeared  to  be  his  inevitable  doom, 
unless  there  was  a  radical  change.  And  it  came  when  least 
expected  by  his  friends.  He  decided  to  drink  no  more— 
and  instantly  stopped.  Severe  sickness  followed,  as  a  natu¬ 
ral  sequence  to  the  sudden  lack  of  stimulant;  and  when  a 
physician  prescribed  and  held  the  “poisoned  cup”  to  his 
lips,  and  told  him  he  must  drink  if  he  would  live,  the  old 
Roman  dashed  it  aside,  and  vowed  “he  would  die  before  he 
tasted  a  single  drop” — and  he  kept  his  word. 

Subsequently  he  became  the  president  of  the  Temperance 
Society,  and  one  night,  when  a  meeting  was  in  progress, 
some  one  brought  forward  a  negro  to  sign  the  pledge,  his 
face  flamed  with  indignation,  he  declared  the  meeting  ad¬ 
journed,  and  rushed  from  the  room.  It  was  touching  him* 
in  a  very  tender  spot.  His  hatred  for  a  colored  person  was 
too  intense  for  him  to  admit  the  slightest  association.  In¬ 
deed,  it  was  laughable  how  peculiarly  sensitive  he  was  upon 
the  subject,  and  his  loathing  was  so  great  that  had  he  then 
(his  views  became  somewhat  softened  at  a  later  date)  been 
convinced  that  that  particular  race  would  have  been  ad¬ 
mitted  into  heaven,  he  would  have  considered  it  a  good 
and  sufficient  reason  and  ample  justification  for  going  in 
the  contrary  direction. 

The  same  imperative  will — the  same  strong,  overmaster¬ 
ing  prejudice  controlled  his  judicial  acts  and  legal  decisions, 
even  more  than  he  was  himself  aware.  Though  I  believe 


LEWIS  C.  KERCHIVAL. 


29 


him  to  have  been  honest  to  his  heart’s  core,  yet  there  was 
an  irresistible  bias  that  sometimes  ran  away  with  his  better 
judgment,  and  bordered  upon  the  ludicrous,  and  he  made 
law  quite  a  different  affair  from  that  laid  down  in  the  stat¬ 
ute  book  and  held  to  be  sound  by  higher  authority.  I  give 
an  instance : 

It  was  claimed,  and  justly,  that  active  firemen  were  ex¬ 
empt  from  street  tax,  and  custom,  at  least,  had  made  it 
binding,  but  “Squire  Kerchival”  argued  otherwise.  He 
permitted  a  suit  to  be  brought  against  one  of  the  “fire  fight- 
ters"  for  the  amount,  and  sternly  overruled  the  exemption. 
Then  the  defense  produced  three  of  the  most  prominent 
physicians,  who  swore  point  blank,  that  on  account  of  bod¬ 
ily  injuries,  the  defendant  was  not  able  to  work  upon  the 
streets  and  consequently  not  liable.  There  was  nothing  in 
rebuttal.  Hut  “the  Squire"  ignored  the  testimony  entirely. 
He  had  made  up  his  mind  and  that  was  sufficient — said 
“he  had  seen  the  defendant  dance  half  the  night,  and  any 
one  who  was  able  to  dance  was  able  to  work  on  the  streets, 
and  he’d  be  (well,  say  blessed!)  if  he  shouldn’t  either  do  it 
or  pay!” — vowed  he  wouldn't  permit  an  appeal,  and  forth¬ 
with  issued  an  execution. 

But  nothing  came  of  it;  and  his  books,  if  now  to  be 
found,  will  reveal  the  judgment  unsatisfied.  Sober  second- 
thought  had  shown  him  the  impracticability  and  absurdity 
of  his  course,  and  I  presume  he  laughed  as  heartily  as  did 
others  at  his  high-handed  defiance  of  law  and  testimony. 
It  was  simply  one  of  the  furious  storms  that  the  soonest 
clear  the  sky. 

Next  to,  if  not  equal  with  his  hatred  of  “our  brothers 
carved  in  ebony”  was  that  of  dogs.  He  had  the  most  mor¬ 
tal  antipathy  to  them.  They  never  entered  into  his  con¬ 
ception  of  Paradise.  In  that  particular,  if  in  no  other,  he 
was  “close  communion,”  and  would  have  cut  off  the  best  of 
his  friends  among  the  Red  Men  from  the  happy  hunting- 
grounds,  for  their  love  of  and  close  intimacy  with  their  use- 


LEWIS  C.  KERCHIYAL. 


30 

fill  four-footed  companions.  This  feeling  was  no  secret, 
and  it  was  made  use  of  to  annoy  the  old  gentleman,  though 
truth  to  tell  more  from  the  fun  that  would  arise  out  of  it 
than  malice. 

The  prime  mover  was  Doctor - (he  might  not  fancy 

having  his  name  given  to  the  public,  so  I'll  e’en  whisper  it 
very  lowly  and  confidentially  upon  the  solemn  pledge  that 
you'll  “never  tell  nobody")  —  Doctor  Max  Myers.  He 
caused  an  advertisement  to  be  inserted  in  one  of  the 
papers,  that  Squire  Kerchival  was  very  anxious  to  purchase 
a  good  dog,  and  requested  any  who  had  one  for  sale  to 
bring  it  to  his  office  between  the  hours  of  nine  and  twelve 
upon  the  following  day.  •  And  such  a  collection  as  ap¬ 
peared,  mirabile  dictu!  Dutch  men,  and  dutch  women, 
and  dutch  girls,  and  dutch  boys  from  the  neighborhood  of 
“ Dili’s  Brewery";  Milesian  men,  women,  girls,  and  boys 
from  the  North,  South,  East,  and  West,  and  ragged  juve¬ 
niles  from  every  alley.  And  dogs?  No  race  appeared 
unrepresented.  The  “School  Section”  (old  settlers  will 
understand  the  meaning  of  the  term)  were  in  full  force, 
terriers,  Newfoundland,  pointers,  setters,  hounds,  bulldogs. 
“Tray,  Blanche,  and  Sweetheart,”  big,  little,  useful,  worth¬ 
less  were  all  there,  and  the  office  was  taken  by  storm,  and 
the  street  crowded,  and  a  human  and  canine  Babel  reigned 
and  Bedlam  was  outdone  1 

But  the  reception  they  received  !  It  beggars  all  the  power 
of  description,  let  imagination  run  riot  ever  so  madly;  the 
motley  crowd  was  hurried,  driven,  hustled,  not -very  gently, 
down  the  stairs  amid  the  wildest  jargon  and  carnival  of 
denunciation,  and  curses,  and  vows  of  vengence  from  Teu¬ 
tonic,  irish  and — that  was  the  feather  that  crushed  the 
spine  of  the  camel — colored  lips;  the  door  locked,  and  the 
scales  of  Justice  that  day  left  untended.  And  “wratliy" 
indeed  was  the  Squire  when  he  found  it  was  a  practical 
joke — blew  hot  and  blew  cold — but  when  the  waves  had 
lashed  their  fury  out  he  bore  no  malice. 


LEWIS  C.  KERCHIVAL. 


31 

Despite  his  peppery  temper,  Lewis  C.  Kerchival — Colonel 
Kerchival — was  a  man  to  be  respected.  None  of  us  are 
without  faults,  and  his  came  from  natural  organization — 
from  the  want  perhaps  of  proper  training  when  young — 
from  his  head  rather  than  heart.  He  was  of  the  ancient 
regime  —  had  the  manners  of  a  “gentleman  of  the  old 
school” — the  will  that  would  have  caused  him  to  march 
triumphantly  to  the  stake  for  a  principle,  and  the  nerve  to 
endure  torture  without  a  groan.  He  was  as  much  a  part  of 
his  times  as  the  buildings — has  left  a  name  that  is  indis- 
solutly  connected  with  Chicago — was  true  as  steel  in  his 
friendships  and  when  the  sod  was  placed  over  him,  many 
of  what  the  world  called  “better  men”  would  have  been 
less  missed. 


URIAH  P.  HARRIS. 


Nature  created  Uriah  P.  Harris,  for  a  fireman,  and  I  am 
inclined  to  the  belief  that  his  playthings  in  the  cradle  must 
have  been  miniature  trumpets,  spanners,  and  wrenches,  and 
that  the  first  use  he  made  of  his  limbs  was  to  “run  with  the 
machine,”  and  of  his  hands,  to  hold  a  pipe  and  a  butt  1 
This  may  seem  an  idle  delusion  of  the  fancy,  but  the  after¬ 
life  of  the  man  would  appear  to  prove  the  theory. 

Mr.  Harris,  I  am  quite  confident,  owed  his  nativity  to 
New  York  City.  During  his  younger  days  he  was  a  mem¬ 
ber,  and  we  may  be  certain  an  active  one,  of  engine  number 
27,  “Old  North  River,”  and  in  the  rough  school  of  the  Vol¬ 
unteer  department,  the  constant  calls  for  energy  and  cour¬ 
age,  and  the  not  unfrequent  difficulties  with  rival  companies, 
he  learned,  and  learned  well,  the  stern  lessons  that  fitted 
him  for  his  after  career. 


URIAH  I*.  HARRIS. 


Upon  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  he  joined  “Osceola,  num¬ 
ber  3,"  then  having  a  house  upon  the  river  bank  on  the 
north  side,  at  the  foot  of  Dearborn  Street — the  “Kid  (Move 
Company,  as  its  enemies  dubbed  it.  It  was  composed  for 
the  most  part  of  the  “solid  men”  of  the  North  Division 
(with  a  few  from  the  South  side),  and  represented  much 
wealth,  and  the  very  first  of  social  standing;  a  distinctive 
feature  it  retained  in  a  great  degree  to  the  very  last,  al¬ 
though  the  first  members  bore  away  the  palm  in  these  re¬ 
spects,  and  the  names  to  be  found  niton  its  (then)  roll  stood 
and  stand  to-day  as  high  as  any  in  the  city,  and  the  paid 
department  do  no  more  severe  work  than  was  done  by  the 
“hand  engines'’  then — if  they  equal  it. 

The  coolness,  the  power  to  control  and  direct  others,  the 
far-sightedness,  the  quickness  of  decision,  the  knowledge  of 
the  fantastic  moods  of  the  flames,  the  scope  and  force  of 
water,  the  best  point  of  attack,  the  surest  way  to  defeat,  all 
belonged  to  Mr.  Harris,  and  he  was  dowered  with  the 
strength  and  stamina  to  defy  the  excesses  of  heat,  and  cold, 
and  exposure,  inseparable  to  such  a  life. 

All  will  remember  him,  for  he  was  a  part  of  the  new  as 
well  as  the  old  Chicago.  His  figure  was  tall  and  presence 
commanding — a  shade  too  heavy  in  his  later  years  for  the 
arduous  duty,  but  never  shirking  it.  The  strongest,  the  ab¬ 
sorbing  passion  of  his  life  was  to  be  a  fireman.  It  was  his 
beau  ideal  of  perfect  manhood  the  achme  of  human  bliss — 
the  highest  aim  of  his  ambition.  No  general  ever  felt  more 
happy  than  he  in  marshalling  his  forces  against  the  “de¬ 
vouring  element  " — none  were  more  jubilant  in  victory. 

Hut  it  must  be  remembered  that  his  was  no  common 
conception  of  what  constituted  a  true  fireman.  It  had 
been  the  study  of  his  lifetime — he  had  consecrated  himself 
to  it,  as  it  were,  and  the  one  who  reached  his  mark  had  to 
combine  all  the  elements  of  daring,  even  to  recklessness, 
coolness,  amid  the  most  trying  circumstances,  trained  judg¬ 
ment,  a  quick  eye,  a  firm  hand,  untiring  muscle,  an  iron 


URIAH  P.  HARRIS. 


33 


constitution,  to  know  by  intuition  what  was  right,  and  the 
nerve  to  carry  it  out,  unheeding  the  clamor  of  the  populace 
or  the  intermeddling  of  those  who  held  quasi  power  in 
municipal  affairs. 

That  Uriah  P.  Harris  combined  in  a  remarkable  degree 
these  rare  qualities,  his  repeated  election  to  the  office  of 
Chief  Engineer  (and  no  more  important  one  can  be  ad¬ 
duced),  I  think,  conclusively  proves.  In  this  even  the 
outcry  of  party  was  strangled,  and  though  there  were  plenty 
of  seekers  after  the  “loaves  and  fishes”  connected  with  it, 
yet  to  the  praise  of  Chicago  be  it  recorded,  the  better  judg¬ 
ment  permitted  no  swelling  and  fury  of  political  waves  to 
turn  them  from  what  was  believed  their  best  interests  and 
the  most  certain  means  of  safety.  The  fiat  was  then,  what¬ 
ever  it  may  be  now,  that  life  and  property,  when  weighed 
against  fire,  was  above  and  paramount  to  all  party  feeling. 

I  think,  none  will  question  the  ability  with  which  Mr. 
Harris  managed  fires.  And  it  must  be  taken  into  consider¬ 
ation,  how  often  and  much  he  was  crippled  for  want  of  nec¬ 
essary  machines  and  an  adequate  supply  of  water.  Human 
muscle  is  not  as  tireless  as  steam,  human  nature  not  as  reli¬ 
able  as  steel,  human  passions  have  no  safety-valve  that  can 
be  chained  down  and  control  them,  humanity  is  ever  subject 
to  the  overthrowing  powers  of  jealousy,  envy,  malice,  and  in¬ 
subordination.  And  all  these  were  against  him,  at  least  in 
the  early  part  of  his  career,  and  I  remember  well  a  remark 
from  his  lips,  when  the  change  came  from  the  Volunteer  de¬ 
partment  and  breath  of  fire,  lungs  of  steam  and  sinews  of 
iron  were  substituted;  when  horses  did  the  heavy  labor  of 
drawing  and  machinery  of  working — when  men  arrived  at 
the  scene  of  destruction  without  being  already  tired  out. 

“I  tell  you,”  he  said,  “steamers  don’t  get  exhausted  or 
drunk,  and  can  be  depended  on  every  time.” 

This  was  immediately  after  what  was  then  termed  “a 
great  fire”  (ah!  how  fearfully  the  memory  of  it  was  blotted 
out  at  a  later  day,  when  a  second  Sodom  swept  away  acres 

n 

O 


34 


URIAH  I>.  HARRIS. 


of  buildings,  and  in  a  breath  crumbled  even  the  most  sub¬ 
stantial  to  ashes  or  melted  them  as  wax  in  a  thrice-heated 
furnace!)  in  Lake  street  (on  the  north  side  of  the  street 
between  Clark  and  Dearborn),  when  tired  nature  strove  to 
sustain  itself  by  stimulants,  and  there  was  left  behind  a  sad, 
sad  record  of  destruction  and  death  —  heavy  pecuniary 
losses  and  monumental  marbles  in  the  graveyard. 

Mr.  Harris  was  a  man  of  intense  feelings  and  strong  pas¬ 
sions.  They  were  the  requisite  fuel  to  drive  him  on  in  his 
chosen  career,  just  as  much  as  coal  and  wood  are  to  the 
locomotive.  Without  them  he  could  never  have  been  what 
he  was.  But  passion  with  him  was  no  long-lingering  feel¬ 
ing.  It  would  have  been  impossible  for  him  to  have 
“nursed  wrath  to  keep  it  warm.”  He  was  too  great¬ 
hearted  for  that.  Beside  his  inherent  love  of  mirth — his 
rollicking  nature  would  never  have  permitted  such  a  thing. 
His  laugh  was  most  hearty  and  contagious;  his  play  bois¬ 
terous,  and  the  very  corner-stone  of  his  being  was  socia¬ 
bility.  Condemned  to  a  hermit  life — sundered  from  genial 
■companionship,  he  would  have  been  the  most  unhappy  of 
mortals  and  not  long  known  to  the  living.  As  a  Crusoe, 
he  would  not  have  survived  to  see  a  “Friday,”  whether 
day  or  man!  Generous  he  was  to  a  fault — far  too  much 
so  for  his  own  good  in  a  pecuniary  point,  and  was  some¬ 
thing  of  a  gourmand  in  eating,  while  exceedingly  dainty  in 
taste  and  not  to  be  charged  with  gluttony.  Like  many 
men  of  his  mould,  he  was  tender-hearted — unusually  so. 
Charity  with  him  was  more  than  a  name — was  not  simply 
a  spasm,  but  an  ever-living  and  breathing  reality,  and  tears 
in  the  eyes  of  woman,  no  matter  who  she  might  be,  ever 
caused  his  own  to  flow. 

Mr.  Harris  was  perhaps  too  much  of  the  order  of  Sans 
Souci ,  to  have  claimed  the  motto  of  Bayard,  but  to  that  can 
be  attributed  much  of  the  personal  popularity  which,  in 
connection  with  his  ability  in  his  chosen  profession,  en¬ 
abled  him  so  long  to  retain  his  high  position  as  Chief. 


URIAH  P.  HARRIS. 


35 


His  friends  were  very  warm  and  lasting  ones.  He  threw 
his  whole  soul  into  his  intercourse,  as  indeed  he  did  into 
everything  else — was  fond  even  to  extremes  of  ihe  amuse¬ 
ments  that  go  very  far  toward  relieving  the  dullness  of  life 
— to  compensate  for  its  trials.  A  good  horse  had  in  him  a 
good  friend  and  protector,  and  the  drama  an  ardent  ad¬ 
mirer.  Indeed  he  was  enthusiastic  concerning  it,  and 
chess  might  almost  have  been  called  a  passion.  And, 
though  the  fact  is  probably  not  widely  known,  he  was  quite 
literary  in  his  tastes. 

His  faults,  whatever  they  may  have  been,  sprang  from 
an  excess  of  warmth  in  his  nature,  from  too  much  carbonic 
acid,  I  might  say,  in  his  organization,  from  impulse  not  to 
be  resisted,  from  the  whip  and  spur  of  too  rapidly  bound¬ 
ing  blood — never  from  premeditated  wrong.  No  one  ever 
yet  heard  so  hearty  and  spontaneous  a  laugh  come  from  a 
villian’s  throat. 

But  whatever  his  errors,  the  mantle  of  that  broad  charity, 
with  which  he  ever  so  liberally  shrouded  others,  should  be 
extended  to  him.  His  virtues  counterbalance  them,  and  it 
has  been  well  written,  “none  are  perfect,  no  not  one.”  He 
has  passed  “beneath  the  veil,”  but  will  not  soon  be  for¬ 
gotten — cannot  be.  As  long  as  there  is  a  Chicago  Fire 
Department,  he  will  be  remembered  with]  pleasure.  What 
it  now  is  (without  detracting  one  iota  from  the  fame  of 
others),  he  assisted  greatly  to  make  it,  and  no  true  fireman 
will  hesitate  to  lay  a  wreath  of  asphodel  upon  his  resting 
place. 


36 


•  HENRY  B.  CLARKE. 


Xo  one  among  the  olden  time  hunters  will  ever  pass  the 
grave  of  Henry  B.  Clarke  save  reverently  and  with  uncov¬ 
ered  head 

Mr.  Clarke  was,  de  facto,  one  of  the  “old  settlers.”  About 
forty  years  ago  he  erected  his  (then)  famous  mansion, 
dwarfing  all  others,  on  the  South  side  of  the  river,  and 
equalled  only  by  that  of  William  B.  Ogden  on  the  north — 
of  which  it  was  the  rival.  Its  cost  was  some  ten  thousand 
dollars — a  mere  bagatelle  now,  but  at  the  time  was  looked 
upon  with  alarm,  and  designated  by  many  names,  the  most 
gentle  of  which  was,  perhaps,  “folly.”  The  building  was 
fashioned  after,  and  to  a  great  degree  a  reproduction  of, 
that  of  the  first  Mayor  of  Chicago  (William  B.  Ogden, 
A.D.  1837),  with  broad,  pillared  porch;  inviting,  comfort¬ 
able,  substantial,  and  a  marked  object  in  the  almost  wilder¬ 
ness  of  prairie. 

One  can  scarcely  conceive,  at  this  day,  the  enterprise 
and  energy  necessary  to  successfully  carry  out  such  an 
undertaking,  when  the  city  was  yet  in  its  swaddling  clothes 
(with  only  about  two  thousand  inhabitants),  the  country 
unsettled,  the  trail  of  the  Indians  yet  unobliterated,  their 
corn  growing  at  “Wolf’s  Point,”  their  camp  fires  nightly 
burning,  and  their  war  cry  scarcely  stilled;  when  skilled 
labor  was  difficult  to  command,  and  when  much  of  the 
interior  wood-work  had  to  be  transported  from  the  State  of 
New  York.  Indeed,  everything  taken  into  consideration, 
it  might  well  have  been  looked  upon  as  Herculanean  labor, 
and  one  bordering  even  upon  insanity.  But  the  South  side 


HENRY  B.  CLARKE. 


37 


gloried  in  it,  as  they  did  in  everything  that  tended,  in  the 
least,  to  break  the  somewhat  arrogant  power  of  the  North, 
and  lessen  its  prestige. 

When  Mr.  Clarke  builded  his  home  it  fronted  to  the 
East,  and  was  sentinelled  by  tall  Lombardy  poplars — strik¬ 
ing  objects  amid  such  surroundings.  It  was  distant  a  mile 
and  one-half  from  the  nearest  neighbor,  was  in  a  streetless 
plain,  and  to  be  reached  only  by  the  road  along  the  lake 
shore — the  highway  from  the  Wabash.  And  it  is  recorded 
as  an  instance  of  his  goodness  of  heart,  and  thoughtfulness 
for  the  welfare  of  others,  that  he  every  night  hung  out  a 
lantern  to  guide  belated  and  perplexed  travellers,  and  save 
them  from  the  treacherous  and  almost  bottomless  sloughs. 

The  location  of  the  house  was  near  the  scene — a  trifle  to 
the  south,  if  I  remember  correctly- — of  the  massacre  of 
1812,  and  amid  the  mimic  mountains  of  ever-shifting  sand 
rested  the  bones  of  the  soldiers  ruthlessly  slain  by  Indian 
treachery  and — why  should  it  not  be  written? — by  the 
■obstinacy  and  incompetency  of  white  leaders. 

Not  here,  perhaps,  is  the  proper  place  to  discuss  the 
merits  of  that  fatal  evacuation  of  Fort  Dearborn;  but  a 
decade  and  a  half  of  years  since  investigation  of  the  facts 
(after  gathering  the  most  authentic  information  possible) 
forced  this  conclusion:  the  massacre  was  the  result  of  self¬ 
opinion,  suspicion,  and  jealousy  of  inferiors,  the  destruction 
of  stores,  the  want  of  knowledge  of  the  Indian  character 
and  contempt  of  their  power.  But  whatever  the  cause,  its 
history  was  written  in  blood. 

Mr.  Clarke  combined  shrewdness  with  energy  of  char¬ 
acter.  He  was  a  partner  of  William  Jones  and  Byram 
King  (notable  names  in  the  early  history  of  the  Garden 
City)  in  the  Hardware  business  (on  South  Water  Street), 
and  a  director  in  the  Chicago  Branch  of  the  State  Bank. 
In  his  later  years  he  Avithdrew  from  active  business  associa¬ 
tions,  and  devoted  his  time  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  and 
to  the  sport  his  very  soul  loved — that  of  hunting;  having 


38 


HENRY  15.  CLARKE. 


for  companions  such  men  as  1).  L).  Stanton,  Harvey 
Blakesley,  L.  C.  Hugunin  (“Len”),  Ashley  Gilbert,  and 
others. 

Judging  from  his  treatment  of  me,  and  from  what  I  heard 
from  others,  Mr.  Clarke  must  have  been  a  remarkably 
genial  companion — one  with  command  of  self  and  one 
possessing  the  traits  of  character  that  make  men  loved 
while  living,  and  when  gone,  remembered  with  tender  re¬ 
gret.  Certainly  his  friends  were  warm  ones,  though  I  fancy 
the  number  admitted  to  the  very  hearth-stone  of  his  heart 
was  not  large.  But  those  who  enjoyed  the  privilege  re¬ 
mained  firm  to  the  last— till,  in  1849,  the  blight  and  mil¬ 
dew  and  doom  of  cholera  fell  upon  the  the  City  and  swept 
him  away. 

He  was  a  man  of  strong  feelings,  and  remembered  injus¬ 
tice  very  keenly.  His  early  life  had  been  passed  amid  the 
scenes  that  most  truly  “tried  men’s  souls,”  for  the  business 
battle  of  those  years  was  not  what  it  is  now — the  means  of 
transportation  but  as  a  pony  express  to  the  countless  rail¬ 
way  cars — or,  as  the  speed  of  a  tortoise  to  that  of  a  grey¬ 
hound.  Money  was  scarce  and  hard  to  command;  credit 
sat  weeping  amid  the  ruined  altars  of  speculation,  and 
when  the  crash  of  1837  came,  Mr.  Clarke  did  not  escape 
being  crippled.  This,  and  subsequent  struggles,  I  think, 
must  have  somewhat  distilled  the  gall  of  bitterness  into  his 
cup  of  life,  and  ever  after  shadowed  it.  But  he  was  the 
possessor  of  a  brave  heart  and  high  moral  courage.  The 
latter  was  shown  upon  his  death-bed.  He  calmly  faced 
the  inevitable,  gave  minute  directions  about  his  temporal 
affairs,  and  designated  the  spot  of  his  burial  —  that  he 
should  be  placed  beneath  a  spreading  tree  upon  his  own 
ground,  and  not  consigned  to  the  cheerless  graveyard  where 
the  drifting  sand  lud  all  trace  one  day,  and  the  next  per¬ 
mitted  the  wind  to  blow  upon  the  unearthed  coffin ! 

I  know  not  if  tree  or  grave  remains  now,  so  completely 
has  the  city  swallowed  up  the  surroundings — so  much  has 


HENRY  13.  CLARKE. 


39 


the  vandal  hand  of  “  improvement  ”  obliterated  old  and 
cherished  land-marks.  But  I  do  know  that  in  former  days 
the  grave  of  Henry  B,  Clarke  was  held  in  reverence  by 
old  settlers  and  huntsmen,  and  each  in  passing  laid  (at  least 
mentally)  a  flower  upon  the  grassy  mound. 

No  man  in  whom  the  love  of  dogs  and  horses  is  as 
strongly  developed,  as  was  the  case  in  Mr.  Clarke,  can  ever 
be  otherwise  than  warm-hearted  and  full  of  tenderness; 
but  if,  at  times,  bitterness  fell  from  his  lips,  it  was  but  the 
natural  out-cropping  of  the  trials  through  which  he  had 
passed.  But  it  was  a  growth  of  tares  that  could  never  up¬ 
root  the  wheat — of  weeds  that  were  held  in  check  by  blos¬ 
soms  of  humanity.  Had  he  been  thrown  upon  the  extreme 
frontier  he  would  have  been  foremost  in  the  ranks  of  pio¬ 
neers  ;  had  he  been  with  Boone  and  Simon  Kenton  they 
would  have  had  a  brother  who  would  have  won  an  equal 
name,  and  never  shirked  trial  or  flinched  danger.  If  more 
lapped  in  City  life  he  would  have  sighed  for  gun  and  for 
freedom,  and  the  leaves  of  the  ledger  would  be  irksome, 
no  matter  what  the  profits.  As  it  was,  his  later  life  was  a 
happy  medium  between  the  two  extremes.  He  lived  upon 
■neutral  ground  between  civilization  and  tvilderness — could 
turn  in  a  moment  from  one  to  the  other,  and  when  not 
actually  engaged  in  agriculture  his  face  was  more  often  seen 
at  the  Calumet  and  the  O’Plain  than  in  Lake  Street,  and 
his  gun  more  often  heard  on  prairie  and  river  than  his  voice 
upon  the  public  square.  For  all  his  ambition  in  house¬ 
building  he  loved  nature,  primeval,  better  than  right-angled 
streets  and  piles  of  brick  and  mortar;  and  believing,  to  the 
full,  in  the  creed  that  “God  made  the  country  and  man 
made  the  town,”  he  gladly  turned  his  back  upon 

“The  cold,  heartless  city,  with  its  forms 
'And  dull  routine;  its  artificial  manners, 

And  arbitrary  rules ;  its  cheerless  pleasures, 

And  mirthless  masqueing.” 


40 


IIKNKY  B.  CLARK K. 


Air.  Clarke  belonged  to  the  “old  stock”  that  are  rapidly 
fading  away  from  the  sight  of  men — but  not  to  be  forgotten. 
That  can  never  be.  Their  names  are  written  as  with  pen¬ 
cils  of  steel  upon  tablets  of  marble — written  upon  all  of 
Chicago  as  indelibly  as  those  of  the  Indians  are  upon  head¬ 
land,  river,  prairie,  and  waterfall.  Every  thought  of  the 
past  brings  them  back — repeoples  the  earth  again  with  the 
forms  long  since  laid  down  to  their  silent  rest.  A  few — a 
very  few  remain,  with  the  furrows  plowed  by  years  upon 
their  faces,  and  “the  snow  that  falls  but  never  melts” 
lodged  in  their  scant  hair;  and  it  is  a  duty,  as  it  should  be 
a  pleasure,  not  only  for  their  children  and  children’s  chil¬ 
dren,  but  of  all  in  Chicago  to  gather  and  garner  all  possi¬ 
ble  reminiscences  against  the  time  when  their  history  will 
be  more  valuable  than  letters  of  gold. 

There  was  a  manliness  about  these  old  Argonauts — a 
self-dependence,  an  iron  nerve,  and  unbending  front  of 
which  we  see  but  little  now.  Perhaps  it  is  not  called  out. 
They  were  men  to  be  relied  on  in  every  emergency,  and 
among  them  Henry  B.  Clarke  stood  high-placed,  and,  as  for 
as  I  ever  knew,  with  unsullied  character.  He  never  (to  the 
best  of  my  recollection)  sought  or  held  public  office— a 
striking  commentary  upon  some  that  might  be  named,  and 
on  that  very  account  left  a  purer  record.  He  never  could 
have  been  a  sycophant  for  place  or  power — a  Janus  for 
loaves  and  fishes;  and  while  he  might,  by  so  doing,  have 
left  more  property,  what  he  did  was  unmortgaged  to  politi¬ 
cal  corruption  and  broken  promises.  From  his  life  and 
those  who  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  him  in  the  ranks, 
the  “rings"  of  to-day  may  learn  a  lesson  it  would  be  for 
their  benefit  to  ponder  and  remember,  if  they  aim  for  a 
higher  and  nobler  manhood.  Aye,  it  would  be  well  for  the 
younger  business  men  of  Chicago  to  go  to  such  graves  as 
that  of  Henry  B.  Clarke  and  learn  wisdom  from  their  dust 
and  ashes. 


4i 


SAMUEL  J.  LOWE. 


In  the  first  Directory  of  Chicago  ( Robert  Fergus ,  Compiler 
and  Publisher,  A.D.  1839),  can  be  found  the  name  of  Sam¬ 
uel  J.  Lowe,  “High  Constable  and  Deputy-Sheriff,”  show¬ 
ing  that  he  was  a  resident  at  an  early  day,  but  I  have  no 
means  of  deciding  the  exact  time.  He  was  twice  elected 
Sheriff  (1842  and  1844),  and  subsequently  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  an  office,  I  think,  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  decease. 
He  was  twice  married,  and  a  number  of  his  children  still 
survive. 

Mr.  Lowe  was  of  English  parentage — and  he  was  born,  if 
recollection  serves  me  rightly,  in  the  mother  country;  and, 
though  thoroughly  Americanized  in  feelings,  retained  some 
of  the  traits  that  mark  the  subjects  of  Queen  Victoria  to 
the  end.  This,  however,  was  only  in  manner,  accent,  and 
idiom.  There  was  nothing  of  worship  for  the  crown  re¬ 
maining.  And — if  indeed  he  had  ever  been  much  tinct¬ 
ured  in  that  direction,  which  is  exceedingly  doubtful  in  my 
mind — all  of  early  prejudice,  and  love,  and  reverence  for 
royalty  had  been  obliterated.  He  was  a  democrat  at  heart 
as  well  as  in  name — a  strong  partisan;  and  the  “divine 
right,”  according  to  his  belief,  was  vested  in  the  people 
and  not  in  kings — the  vox  populi  paramount  to  the, single 
will  of  man  or  woman.  In  fact  he  had  little  patience  with 
any  who  boasted  the  superiority  of  England  in  any  respect, 
and  could  scarcely  tolerate  them  at  his  own  table,  although 
one  of  the  most  hospitable  of  men. 

One  instance  of  this  came  under  my  own  immediate 
observation. 


42 


SAMUEL  J.  LOWE. 


He,  like  all  Englishmen  (and  are  not.  “Yankees”  the 
same  if  blessed  with  the  slightest  epicurean  taste?)  was 
fond  of  roast  beef,  and  he  was  a  good  judge  of  the  article 
in  its  primitive  state,  and  knew  when  it  was  properly 
cooked.  At  dinner  one  day,  at  his  house,  were  some  gen¬ 
uine  specimens  of  the  newly  arrived  John  Bull — sex,  mascu¬ 
line;  species,  cockney — who,  ignoring  the  etiquette  and  po¬ 
liteness  of  the  occasion,  indulged  in  egotistical  bombast 'as 
to  their  native  country,  and  were  loud  in  condemnation  of 
everything  this  side  of  the  water.  Mr.  Lowe  heard  them 
in  silence,  though  rising  color  told  how  unpalatable  was 
the  theme  to  him.  Under  other  circumstances  he  might 
not  have  borne  so  patiently.  In  the  role  of  host  he  was 
fettered,  and  endeavored  again  and  again  to  turn  the  tide 
of  conversation,  but  without  success.  And  everything 
came  in  for  censure,  from  the  President  and  Cabinet  down 
even  to  food,  and  the  wholesale  declaration  was  made  (and 
that  in  the  face  of  as  prime  a  piece  of  beef  as  Straun  ever 
fed  and  “Bill  Gallagher”  ever  butchered,  and  which  it 
would  have  been  very  difficult  to  duplicate  in  any  market 
in  the  world)  “that  there  was  nothing  fit  to  heat  in  this  ’ere 
blarsted  country,”  or  words  to  that  effect. 

Quick  almost  as  a  lightning  flash  the  hot  blood  surged  to- 
the  very  temples  of  Mr.  Lowe.  Not  only  his  adopted 
country,  but  himself  and  his  table,  had  been  insulted,  and 
by  those  partaking  of  his  kindly  proffered  hospitality;  and 
before  second-thought  came  to  his  rescue  he  answered  and 
asked:  “Why,  then,  in  the  name  of  heaven,  didn’t  you  stay 
in  England?” 

That  he  regretted  it  afterward  I  know,  although  the  re¬ 
proof  was  richly  merited,  and  he  felt  he  had  lowered  himself 
to  their  level.  However  it  mattered  little.  They  were  too 
thick-skinned  to  feel  his  virtuous  indignation,  and  if  the 
shaft  was  felt  at  all,  consoled  themselves  with  a  double 
allowance  of  the  beef  that  “was  not  fit  to  eat,”  and  which 
was  such  a  toothsome  morsel  as  they  had,  probably,  never 
e  asted  unon  before  in  their  lives. 


SAMUEL  J.  LOWE. 


43 


And  here  (though  out  of  place)  I  cannot  refrain  from  in¬ 
troducing  an  anecdote  of  Henry  G.  Hubbard,  as  it  bears 
directly  upon  the  subject — he  sharing  with  Mr.  Lowe  his 
disgust  of  such  ill-breeding  and  ignorant  assumption,  and 
especially  as  it  was  first  told  me  by  the  latter. 

Mr.  H.  G.  Hubbard  was  dining  at  the  City  Hotel  (trans¬ 
formed  from  stores  by  the  Hon.  Francis  C.  Sherman  “be¬ 
cause  they  were  built  too  far  from  trade!”  and  subsequently 
rebuilded  and  rebaptised  as  the  “Sherman  House’’)  with 
some  of  his  friends,  when  a  party  of  English  (not  English 
gentlemen  and  ladies — very  far  from  it)  who  were  seated 
opposite  indulged  in  loud-mouthed  vituperation  of  all  things 
American.  Mr.  Hubbard  listened  quietly  for  a  time  and 
then  with  straight  face,  but  eyes  twinkling  with  mischief, 
began  to  describe  to  one  of  his  friends  (but  intended 
for  other  ears)  the  severe  trials  of  the  early  settlers  of  Chi¬ 
cago — how  they  had  to  go  out  upon  the  prairie,  and  dig 
under  the  snow  for  old  buffalo  bones,  left  by  the  Indians 
the  previous  summer,  to  make  soup  to  sustain  their  lives, 
and  much  more  to  the  same  effect. 

“Orrible!  ’orrible!”  was  the  comment  of  the  foreigners. 

Mr.  Hubbard  seeing  that  the  bait  had -been  swallowed,' 
enlarged  his  stories,  and  as  the  vulgarity  of  “Western  peo¬ 
ple”  had  been  harped  upon,  wound  up  by  calling  aloud  to 
the  waiter  who  was  serving  pudding : 

“Here,  bring  me  about  a  quart  of  that  poultice  and  put 
on  plenty  of  the  ointment!” 

That  was  enough  for  John  Bull.  They  left  in  a  hurry, 
and  Chicago,  as  reported  by  them,  must  have  had  a  hard 
name.  But  could  they  have  heard  the  explosions  of  laugh¬ 
ter  that  followed,  and  have  known  Henry  G.  Hubbard  as 
did  the  others  at  the  table,  they  might  have  been  a  trifle 
sceptical  as  to  the  information  they  had  put  down  as  “per¬ 
fectly  reliable !  ” 

That  Mr.  Lowe  possessed  more  than  usual  qualifications 
for  Sheriff  will  not  be  questioned  by  any  one  familiar  with. 


44 


SAMUEL  J.  LOWE. 


his  character.  He  had  firmness,  coolness  under  the  most 
trying  circumstances,  a  quick,  working,  and  decisive  mind; 
was  fertile  in  expedients  and  endowed  with  honesty  that 
nothing  could  shake. 

If  specific  proof  of  the  latter  were  needed  it  could  be 
found  in  his  being  among  the  first,  if  not  the  very  first, 
selected  to  guard  the  specie  while  in  transitu  from  the 
Government  Land  Office  at  Chicago  to  St.  Louis.  Of  the 
danger,  as  well  as  the  responsibility  of  the  undertaking,  at 
such  an  early  day,  when  the  means  of  conveyance  was 
simply  stage  coaches,  often  floundering  through  muddy 
prairie  and  “stuck”  in  muddy  sloughs,  those  living  in 
Illinois  at  the  time  will  need  no  testimony.  Organized 
bands  of  counterfeiters,  horse  thieves,  and  desperate  men, 
versed  in  crime  of  every  character,  abounded..  The  “Reg¬ 
ulators”  had  at  best  been  only  “scotched,”  not  killed.  For 
every  head  of  the  serpent  crushed  another  was  reared. 
The  “Davenport  murderers”  were  in  their  glory  —  the 
“  Driscolls  ”  flourishing  and  banded  for  evil  with  their 
brothers  in  infamy  throughout  the  wide  west.  Every  grove 
from  Inlet  and  Paw  Paw  to  the  Wabash  might  have  been 
said  to  contain  caches  of  stolen  goods  and  horses,  the 
cellar  of  many  a  tavern,  the  bones  of  murdered  men,  and 
the  “Hubbard  Trail”  was  not  unmarked  by  blood.  In 
every  respect  it  needed  men  of  inflexible  nerve  and  the 
most  sterling  honesty,  for  such  an  undertaking  as  the  trans¬ 
portation  of  such  a  tempting  lure,  and  to  be  among  the 
number  chosen  was  “proof  as  strong  as  holy  writ”  that  the 
man  was  looked  upon  by  his  fellows  as  the  right  one  in  the 
right  place. 

And  so  it  was  with  Samuel  J.  Lowe  in  all  his  business 
transactions,  whether  public  or  private.  If  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace  he  ever  erred  in  giving  judgment,  the  fault  arose  not 
from  a  want  of  determination  to  do  right  at  what  ever  cost 
— no  matter  who  was  to  be  mulcted,  but  from  a  failure  to 
comprehend  the  intricate  manipulation  of  keen-witted  law- 


SAMUEL  J.  LOWE. 


45 


vers,  the  wilful  perversion  of  evidence,  the  almost  impossi¬ 
bility  to  draw  the  line  of  demarkation  between  truth  and 
falsehood.  But  he  never  was  blinded  by  gold.  Had  he 
been,  he  would  have  died  a  richer  man — have  left  per¬ 
chance  a  more  towering  marble  above  his  grave,  but  a  less 
shining  record  upon  it. 

At  the  time  he  was  Sheriff  the  office  was  the  reverse  of  a 
bed  of  roses.  It  was  not  a  very  lucrative  one — the  jail  was 
an  old  log  building — eternal  vigilance  was  truly  the  price 
of  the  safety  of  the  prisoners — the  city  had  police  that  were 
little  better  than  a  farce — was  a  chosen  refuge  for  scamps 
— rail-roads  were  in  their  infancy — the  State  Prison  was  at 
Alton,  and  sentenced  men  had  to  be  taken  thither  by 
stage,  with  daring  confederates  watchful  and  ever  ready  to 
aid  them  to  escape,  even  at  the  cost  of  bloodshed;  the 
journey  was  long — the  roads  (spring  and  fall)  muddy,  run¬ 
ning  through  a  sparcely  settled  country,  and  the  price  for 
their  transportation  did  not  admit  a  plethora  of  guards. 
But  the  record  of  Samuel  J.  Lowe  challenges  the  assertion 
that  he  did  not  ever-faithfully  keep  watch  and  ward — that 
he  failed  to  safely  deliver,  within  the  grim  walls  of  Alton, 
every  one  entrusted  to  his  care. 

The  starting  of  a  lot  of  prisoners  for  State’s  Prison,  as 
then  manipulated,  would  be  a  curiosity  in  the  Garden  City 
now.  Nearly  opposite  the  jail  (on  Randolph  Street,  be¬ 
tween  Clark  and  LaSalle)  stood  the  old,  smoke  and  dirt 
begrimmed  shop  of  “Jake  Lower,  Blacksmith.”  (I  give 
the  name  from  memory  and  spell  it  phonetically,  and  may 
be  wrong  in  both,  though  I  think  not.)  AVheii  the  time 
came  for  departure,  the  stages  of  Frink  and  Walker  were 
drawn  up  before  the  apology  for  a  prison,  the  doomed  men 
brought  out  handcuffed  and  with  heavy  sackles  upon  their 
ancles.  Then  “Jake”  appeared  upon  the  scene  and  rivetted 
a  bar  of  iron  from  one  of  the  double  fastenings  to  the 
other,  and  the  men  were  bundled  into  the  stage  &nd  whirled 
away  to  punishment  under  the  care  of  keepers,  the  crack- 


46  SAMUEL  J.  LOWE. 

ing  of  the  driver’s  whip  and  the  shouts  and  cheers  of  the 
gamins. 

In  this  connection,  I  might  add  that  his  official  duty 
forced  him  to  be  present  at  and  take  part  in  the  execution 
of  John  Stone  for  the  murder  of  Mrs.  Thompson  (July  io, 
1S40),  and,  that,  though  the  circumstances  were  particu¬ 
larly  atrocious — the  doom  a  just  one — the  culprit  hardened 
and  ribald — yet  the  inner  heart  of  Mr.  Lowe  would  gladly 
have  turned  him  aside  from  seeing  the  death  agony,  even 
while  his  high  sense  of  duty  led  to  unflinchingly  stand  upon 
the  scaffold. 

The  love  of  his  adopted  country  was  very  strong  in  Mr. 
Lowe.  It  was  shadowed  forth  during  the  Mexican  war, 
and  had  he  lived  at  the  time  of  the  “late  unpleasantness” 
he  would  have  thrown  all  his  influence  into  the  scale  for 
the  Union,  and  given  liberally  of  his  means.  At  one  time 
(in  the  City  of  New  York)  I  believe  he  was  a  member  of  a 
military  organization,  and  his  tastes  ran  strongly  in  that 
direction. 

Circumstances  that  could  not  be  avoided,  duties  and 
family  cares  that  must  ever  be  paramount  in  the  heart  of 
any  true  man,  kept  him  from  following  the  bent  of  his 
inclination,  and  going  to  the  Mexican  war.  But  he  could 
compensate  for  his  absence  by  giving  of  his  children,  and 
there  was  no  mawkish  sensibility  about  his  so  doing.  Two 
at  least  of  them  burned  to  “revel  in  the  halls  of  the  Mont- 
ezumas,”  and  he  bade  them  go  and  furnished  the  means  for 
horses  and  all  “the  pomp  and  glory  of  war.” 

“But,”  said  one,  “in  case  our  army  should  be  beaten, 
driven  back,  and  we  forced  to  retreat,  what  then?” 

“Then,”  was  the  reply,  and,  though  jokingly  uttered, 
intended  in  all  its  soundness,  “then,  if  you  come  to  Chi¬ 
cago,  ride  through  it  as  fast  as  you  can  run  your  horse,  and 
don’t  ever  stop  where  I  will  see  you  again !” 

And  such  words  were  not  idle  from  his  lips.  With  Jack- 
son,  I  take  it,  he  would  have  indeed  stood  as  a  “stone 


SAMUEL  J.  LOWE. 


47 


wall” — with  his  countrymen  at  Waterloo,  he  would  have 
been  among  the  last  Wellington  would  ever  have  been 
called  to  blush  for. 

I  have  spoken  of  his  being  a  man  of  nerve,  firmness,  and 
coolness,  and  am  confident  he  would  have  walked  to  the 
■scaffold  rather  than  given  up  a  principle.  Though  far  from 
being  an  athlete — not  being  above  the  medium  size,  and 
ungifted  with  any  remarkable  physical  power,  yet  he  never 
shrank  from  an  encounter,  if  necessary,  and  in  more  than 
one  instance,  to  my  knowledge,  arrested  breakers  of  the  law 
who  had  “whipped  out’'  and  defied  others.  This  his  own 
self-command  and  the  rare  faculty  of  controlling  and  intim¬ 
idating  others  enabled  him  to  do,  and  looking  back  through 
the  data  of  memory,  I  fail  to  find  a  single  instance  where 
he  resorted  to  weapons,  though  the  necessities  of  his  situa¬ 
tion  sometimes  made  it  obligatory  upon  him  to  carry  them. 
Indeed,  I  remember  to  have  frequently  heard  him  speak 
scornfully  of  others  who  did  so  and  made  a  boast  of  it, 
and  no  more  humane  man  in  the  treatment  of  prisoners 
could  have  been  found,  even  while  exercising  all  of  firmness 
and  permitting  nothing  “but  what  the  law  allowed  and  the 
court  adjudged.” 

Of  these  things  peculiar  family  associations,  and  the 
entree  of  his  house  at  all  times  and  at  all  hours  gave  me  a 
better  opportunity  than  another  to  judge,  for  Mr.  Lowe  was 
a  modest,  reticent  man,  quiet  in  his  speech  and  manner, 
and  I  never  heard  anything  boastful  fall  from  his  lips.  To 
know  him,  one  must  have  been  with  him — to  have  read  his 
character  aright,  have  watched  the  details  of  his  actions, 
and  sought  the  mainspring  of  his  motives — have  looked  at 
that  which  was  hidden  rather  than  at  that  which  was  re¬ 
vealed.  Perhaps — and  there  are  many  who  so  judge  of 
men — his  penmanship  was  a  true  index  to  his  character. 
It  was  rather  stiff  than  graceful — precise  to  Quakerism — 
neat  to  a  fault  and  legible  as  the  cleanest  cut  type — was,  as 
might  be  said,  without  a  blot — was  in  perfect  keeping  with 


48 


SAMUEL  J.  LOWK. 


the  man.  To  compare  it  with  the  fashionable  handwriting 
of  the  present  would  be  to  compare  the  beautiful  Roman 
simplicity  of  these  pages  with  the  fanciful  fonts  that  are 
elaborated  almost  to  unintelligibility — and,  if  anything  Mr. 
Lowe  detested,  it  was  “flourish.” 

In  the  circle  of  his  associates  Mr.  I.owe  was  noted  for 
his  hospitality.  A  courteous  and  genial  welcome  met  all 
who  visited  him,  and  though  naturally  somewhat  retiring, 
yet  when  business  cares  were  thrown  aside  there  were  few 
more  companionable  men  to  be  found.  L?e  was  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  was  always  a  welcome 
guest  at  the  St.  George  and  Yorkshire  dinners.  He  was  a 
regular  attendant,  if  not  a  member,  of  the  Episcopal 
Church. 

Death  came  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness,  and  while  he 
was  still  a  young  man — came  at  a  time  when  he  could  but 
illy  be  spared  by  his  family — came  in  a  terribly  painful 
manner.  He  bore  all  patiently  and  bravely,  and  left 
behind  a  name  that  will  be  remembered  and  honored. 

Save  his  own  immediate  family  no  one  saw  his  eyes 
close,  save  Darius  Knights  and  myself.  It  was  a  trying, 
terribly  painful  scene.  His  disease  was  said  to  have  been 
the  same  as  that  of  Napoleon,  and  the  “Hero  of  St.  Helena” 
could  not  have  more  bravely  faced  the  Destroyer,  and,  as 
far  as  mortal  eyes  could  judge,  with  a  more  trustful  heart 
and  firm  belief  that  for  his  soul  the  golden  gates  were  al¬ 
ready  ajar. 

May  we  sleep  as  well  when  for  us  the  summons  comes. 


V 


F  E  RGU  S’ 


POPULAR  PUBLICATIONS. 


1  ANNALS  OF  CHICAGO:  A  Lecture  delivered 

before  the  Chicago  Lyceum,  January' 21,  1S40,  by  Jos.  N.  Balestier. 
Republished  from  the  original  edition  of  1S40,  with  an  Introduction, 
written  by  the  author  in  1876,  and,  also,  a  Review  of  the  Lecture, 
published  in  the  Chicago  Tribune  in  1872.  Price,  25  cents. 

2  FERGUS’  DIRECTORY  OF  THE  CITY  OF 

CHICAGO,  1839;  with  City  and  County  Officers,  Churches,  Public 
Buildings,  Hotels,  etc.,  also,  list  of  Sheriffs  of  Cool;  County  and 
Mayors  of  the  City  since  their  organization;  together  with  Poll- List 
of  the  First  City  Flection  (Tuesday,  May  2d,  1837);  and,  also,  List 
of  Purchasers  of  Lots  in  Fort  Dearborn  Addition,  the  No.  of  the 
Lots,  and  the  Prices  Paid  (1S39).  Compiled  by  Robert  Fergus. 
Price,  50  cents. 

3  THE  LAST  OF  THE  ILLINOIS,  and  a  Sketch 

of  the  Pottawatomies :  Re  id  before  the  Chicago  Historical  Society, 
December  13th,  1870;  also, 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  PRAIRIES:  Read  before  the  Ottawa 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  December  30th,  JS69,  by  Hon.  John 
Dean  Caton,  LL.D.,  late  Chief- Justice  of  Illinois.  Price,  '25  cents. 

4  AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  EARLY 

MOYFMENT  IN  ILLINOIS  FOR  THE  LEGALIZATION  OF 
SLAVFRY:  Read  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  December  5,  1864,  by  Hon.  Win.  H.  Brown,  Ex- President 

of  the  Society.  Price,  25  cents. 

5  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  SOME  OF 

THE  EARLY  SETTLERS  OF  THE  CITY  OF  CHICAGO. 
To  he  issued  in  monthly  parts.  Part  1.  contains  Sketches  of  Hon. 
S.  Lisle  Smith,  George  Davis,  Dr.  Philip  Maxwell,  John  J.  Brown, 
Richard  L.  Wilson,  Colonel  Lewis  C.  Kercbival,  Uriah  P.  Harris, 
Henry  B.  Clarke,  and  Sheriff  Samuel  J.  Lowe.  Price,  25  cents. 

6  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  SOME  OF 

TIIE  EARLY  SETTLERS  OF  THE  CITY  OF  CHICAGO. 
To  lie  issued  in  monthly  parts.  Part  II.  will  contain  Sketches  of  \Y. 
II.  Brown,  Esq.,  l>.  \Y.  Raymond,  Esq.,  J.  Y.  Scamnion,  Esq.,  Chas. 
Walker,  Esq.,  Thomas  Church,  Esq.  Price,  25  cents.  a 

7  EARLY  CHICAGO:  A  LECTURE  DELIVERED 

in  the  Sunday  Course,  at  McCormick’s  Hall,  May  7th,  1S76.  By 
Hon.  John  Wentworth.  Price,  25  cent-. 

Sent  on  receipt  of  Price ,  by  the  Publishers. 

FERGUS  PRINTING  CO., 

244-8  Illinois  Street,  -  Chicago. 


oooooooo 


|opf  ^iogpap|iraI  pfeFfrljFS 
o"oof  some  of  {^Ijirago’s  J£aplg  |§fMfps:°. 


<  ±  a. 


^  ^  ^  ^ 


:_>  o  o  o  o  oooooooooo  ooo  opoo 


^mf  2. 


O  O  O  O  O  O  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  OOP  ooo  « 


WM.  H.  BROWN,  B.  W.  RAYMOND,  Esq.,  Hon.  J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON, 
CHARLES  WALKER,  Esq.,  /  THOMAS  CHURCH,  Esq. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


OF  SOME  OF  THE 

EARLY  SETTLERS 


OF  THE 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO. 


WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 
BENJAMIN  W.  RAYMOND. 
J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON. 
CHARLES  WALKER. 
THOMAS  CHURCH. 


C  H  IC  AGO  : 

FERGUS  PRINTING  COMPANY, 

244-S  ILLINOIS  STREET. 

1  876. 


HON.  WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 


[  From  the  Chicago  Magazine,  March,  1857.] 

To  write  a  sketcli  of  some  living  men  which  would  be  truth¬ 
ful  and  at  the  same  time  readable,  which  shall  present  their 
virtues  in  due  relation  to  their  faults,  and  as  relieved  by  them, 
without  injustice  to  the  feelings  of  the  parties  concerned,  is  not 
an  easy  matter. 

Some  men  are,  like  the  head  of  a  certain  statesman,  of  which 
the  phrenologist  could  make  nothing,  because  he  could  tind  no 
“bump”  about  it — it  was  symmetrically  smooth  in  every  part — 
while  others  exhibit  such  decided  traits  of  character,  that  in¬ 
equalities  are  a  matter  of  necessity.  •  Their  virtues  and  their 
failings  alike  exhibit  themselves  decidedly,  and  in  natural  cor¬ 
respondence  with  each  other. 

Mr.  Brown,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  a  man  of  marked  and 
decided  traits.  What  he  knows,  he  knows;  what  he  says,  he 
means;  and  whatever  subject  comes  before  him  elicits,  without 
delay,  a  plump  and  square  opinion.  Such  men  must  of  neces¬ 
sity  cross  somebody’s  track,  in  the  course  of  their  lives,  and  will 
come  to  be  somewhat  differently  regarded  by  different  classes  of 
people. 

While,  therefore,  this  sketch  will  endeavor  to  set  forth  Mr. 
Brown  as  he  is,  as  far  as  it  goes,  it  cannot  of  course  enter  upon 
such  a  discussion  as  would  be  called  for  were  he  not  yet  moving 
among  us. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  and  was 
born  about  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island ;  his  profession  was  that  of  the 
law,  which  he  practiced  for  some  twenty-five  years,  at  Auburn, 
N.Y.,  with  decided  talent  and  success,  and  then  removed  to  the 
City  of  New  York,  where,  a  few  years  since,  he  died. 

The  son  William,  gained  his  education,  as  many  young  men 
of  his  time  were  accustomed  to  do,  while  the  country  was  not 
as  well  supplied  with  schools  of  a  high  grade  as  at  present, 
partly  in  the  office  of  his  father,  and  at  various  schools;  but  not 
extending  it  in  youth,  far  beyond  what  are  considered  good 
business  acquirements.  He  studied  law  with  his  father,  and 
then  engaged  in  its  practice  with  him. 

In  December,  1818,  about  the  time  of  his  majority,  as  we  infer, 
he  came  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  farther  or  extreme  West,  as  it 


4 


WILLIAM  II.  BROWN. 


then  was;  and  opened  a  law  office  in  the  old  French  town  of 
Kaskaskia,  in  this  State.  Ilis  inducement  to  select  Illinois  as 
the  State  of  his  residence,  he  declared  to  be,  that  it  had,  in  the 
summer  of  that  year,  adopted  a  free  Constitution ;  without  which 
lie  would  by  no  means  have  taken  a  residence  in  it.  In  the 
spring  of  1819,  he  was  appointed  a  Clerk  of  the  United  States 
Court,  which  office  he  field  for  the  period  of  sixteen  years. 
The  seat  of  government  Oeing  removed  to  Vandalia,  and  the 
law  requiring  the  Clerk  of  the  Court  to  keep  his  office  at  the 
Capitol  ol  the  State,  Mr.  Brown  followed  it  thither  in  Decem¬ 
ber,  1S20.  lie  immediately  purchased  one-half  the  proprietary 
interest  in  a  newspaper  then  published, and  called  "The Illinois 
Intelligencer."  This  paper  dated  back  to  1815,  and  was  the  first 
newspaper  ever  established  in  the  Territory.  Mr.  Brown  entered 
upon  its  editorial  duties,  and  continued  in  that  connection  until 
February,  1828.  His  partner  in  the  paper  was  Mr.  Wm.  Berry, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  of  1823;  which  legislature 
passed  a  resolution  for  a  convention  to  alter  the  Constitution  of 
the  State,  with  a  view  to  the  introduction  of  slavery.  The 
means,  by  which  this  resolution  went  through  the  legislature, 
were  of  a  very  high-handed  character,  which  the  reader  will 
find  somewhat  illustrated  on  pages  52-3  of  Ford’s  History  of 
Illinois;  and  in  a  lecture  delivered  before  the  Historical  Society 
of  Chicago,  by  Mr.  Brown. 

Mr.  Berry  voted  for  this  resolution,  while  Mr.  Brown  the  edi¬ 
tor  was  against  it,  and  denounced  it  in  such  teims  as  he  thought 
applicable  to  the  case.  Having  prepared  an  article  for  the  next 
paper,  which  exposed  the  scandalous  measures  by  which  the 
resolution  had  been  carried  through  the  House  of  Representa¬ 
tives,  and  having  taken  proofs  of  it,  preparatory  to  its  insertion, 
these  proofs  were  surreptitiously  taken  from  the  office;  and 
being  read  by  the  parties  implicated,  a  storm  was  at  once  raised, 
such  as  is  not  uncommon,  even  in  our  day,  when  this  same  ques¬ 
tion  of  slavery  is  at  stake.  The  usual  remedy  for  such  imperti¬ 
nent  boldness  was  at  once  proposed,  viz. :  a  mob,  which  should 
demolish  the  office,  and  send  Mr.  Brown  about  other  business. 
Luckily,  Mr.  Brown  had  friends,  and  his  friends  had  pluck;  and 
their  rally  saved  the  office.  The  paper  containing  the  awful 
exposition  appeared ;  and  was  deemed  such  an  indignity  to  the 
august  body  whose  doings  had  been  censured,  that  a  resolution 
was  adopted  citing  the  author  to  their  bar.  To  this  citation 
Mr.  Brown  declined  to  answer;  giving  as  his  reason,  that  the 
Constitution  secured  the  liberty  of  the  Press :  and  so  the  resolu¬ 
tion  went  over  as  unfinished  business,  and  the  wounded  honor 
of  the  House  was  committed  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  time 
for  its  healing. 

The  partnership  in  the  Illinois  Intelligencer  came  to  an  end, 
by  the  sale  of  Mr.  Brown’s  interest;  and  the  paper  advocated 
the  convention — or  in  other  words,  the  introduction  of  slavery 


WILLIAM  II.  BROWN. 


5 

— for  the  next  year.  By  some  reasons,  nevertheless,  not  made 
public,  the  paper  was  given  into  other  editorial  hands,  some 
eight  months  before  the  vote  was  taken,  and,  during  that  time, 
did  good  service  in  the  canvass  for  freedom. 

As  Mr.  Brown  had  embarked  in  the  cause  of  freedom  in  the 
State,  and  had  determined  to  leave  it,  should  the  folly  of  re¬ 
introducing  slavery  prevail,  he  now  gave  most  of  his  time  to 
writing  and  working  against  that  policy;  and  did  much  toward 
securing  the  verdict  rendered  in  the  2000  majority  which  forbid 
its  establishment;  for  which  we  who  now  dwell  here,  and  our 
posterity,  will  owe  him  a  debt  of  gratitude  and  honor. 

In  December,  1822,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  to 
Miss  Harriet  C.  Seward,  daughter  of  Col.  John  Seward,  deceased, 
then  of  Montgomery  Co.,  Ill.  Mrs.  Brown  is  the  mother  of  four 
living  sons  and  one  daughter;  of  whom  three  are  now  in  active 
business,  and  two  in  the  course  of  their  education. 

Mr.  Brown  removed  with  his  family  to  Chicago,  in  October, 
1885,  having  been  appointed  cashier  of  a  branch  of  the  State 
Bank  of  Illinois,  which  had  been  created  here  in  the  winter  of 
1834.  This  position  he  had  accepted  with  some  reluctance, 
under  the  impression  that  his  previous  pursuits  had  not  been  of 
a  kind  to  give  him  that  knowledge  of  financial  matters  required 
in  the  charge  of  such  an  institution.  In  urging  upon  him  the 
appointment,  one  of  the  principal  stockholders  remarked,  that 
he  possessed  one  qualification  very  necessary;  in  that  he  could 
say  no,  as  easily  as  most  men  could  say  yes.  As  soon  as  the 
proper  arrangements  could  be  completed,  the  bank  commenced 
operations,  and  continued  as  the  only  institution  of  the  kind  till 
the  year  1843. 

The  Bank  prospered  well  under  Mr.  Brown’s  management, 
and  might,  perhaps,  have  been  prospering  yet,  had  the  state  of 
the  country  been  anywise  settled  and  healthy.  But  the  serious 
derangements  commencing  in  1836,  or  rather  bade  of  that 
period,  in  the  financial  affairs  of  the  nation,  carried  away  bank, 
and  business,  East  and  West;  and  the  Illinois  State  Bank  did 
not  escape.  It  suffered  great  losses,  and  these,  with  adverse 
legislation,  induced  the  stockholders  to  wind  it  up.  The  Chi¬ 
cago  branch  suffered  with  the  rest;  for  real  estate  was  forced 
upon  it  in  place  of  money.  Yet,  in  the  aggregate,  it  was  so 
managed  that  the  profit  and  loss  would  have  shown  a  balance 
on  the  right  side. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Brown’s  arrival  in  the  State,  its  population 
was  not  over  40,000 ;  and  none,  or  next  to  none,  of  them  lived 
north  of  the  present  limits  of  Bond  County.  When  he  came  to 
Chicago,  it  was  a  village  of  about  two  years’  growth,  aDd  con¬ 
tained  about  2000  people.  All  Northern  Illinois  was  a  wilder¬ 
ness;  and,  two  years  later,  the  whole  north  half  of  the  State  was 
included  in  one  congressional  district;  and  sent  Hon.  John  T. 
Stuart,  of  Springfield,  to  Congress ;  electing  him  over  his  com- 


6 


WILLIAM  II.  BROWN. 


petitor,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who,  on  that  occasion,  made  his 
first  appearance  on  the  stage  in  pursuit  of  political  honors.  The 
writer  of  this  sketch  cast  his  first  vote  in  Illinois  against  Mr. 
Douglas,  at  that  time,  and  made  one  of  the  five  majority  which 
defeated  him. 

In  the  conduct  of  such  an  institution,  through  times  such  as 
these,  there  were  two  things  which  it  were  impossible  to  secure 
together.  One  was  the  safety  of  the  institution,  and  the  other, 
the  good-will  of  all  the  community.  Everybody  was  in  a  con¬ 
dition  of  suffering,  and  wanted  money,  with  an  intensity  that 
could  take  no  denial;  and  the  very  urgency  of  the  want,  point¬ 
ed,  in  no  inconsiderable  number  of  cases,  to  the  very  reason 
which  made  it  unsafe  to  accommodate  them.  The  Cashier  of 
a  bank  must  of  necessity  look  to  the  safety  of  his  trust.  If  he 
is  faithful  to  that,  no  matter  whether  no  is  an  easy  word  to 
him  or  not;  he  is  forced  to  make  the  two  letters  which  com¬ 
pose  it,  current  in  his  institution.  _ZVro,  is  not  a  popular  word, 
with  men  who  wish  to  borrow  money,  especially  if  they  wish 
to  borrow  it  very  much;  as  those  then  did,  who  wanted  to 
borrow  it  at  all.  Air.  Brown’s  peculiar  qualification  already 
mentioned  perhaps  conduced  more  to  the  safety  of  his  trust, 
than  to  his  popularity  for  the  time  being.  But  integrity  and 
decision  vindicate  themselves  sooner  or  later,  and  he  has  lost 
little  in  the  long  run.  Indeed  the  men  who  supposed  them¬ 
selves  to  suffer  from  lack  of  a  decision  in  their  favor,  would 
now  often  choose  him  as  the  very  man  to  take  charge  of  a  trust 
of  their  own,  had  they  one,  requiring  sagacity  and  decision 
united  with  integrity  in  its  management. 

The  building,  in  which  the  bank  was  kept,  stood  at  the  S.-W. 
cor.  of  LaSalle  and  South  Water  Sts.;  and  is  well  remembered 
by  all  the  oldest  residents  of  the  city.  It  has  only  disappeared 
within  the  last  four  or  five  years. 

While  the  bank  was  in  operation,  Chicago  was  confined  prin¬ 
cipally  to  the  vicinity  of  the  river.  The  dwellings  even,  did 
not  stretch  far  away  from  the  centre.  In  the  spring  of  1835, 
a  three  story  brick  building,  probably  117  Lake  street,  was 
erected,  and  finished  in  the  fall,  and  then  filled  with  goods 
by  Breese  and  Shepherd.  It  was  the  general  impression  that 
the  stand  was  too  far  from  the  centre  of  business,  and  would 
prove  a  bad  speculation. 

Mr.  Brown  has  been  a  professor  of  religion  in  connection 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  many  years,  lie  sustained 
the  office  of  ruling  elder  in  that  connection  in  Vandalia,  and 
has  held  the  office  from  1835,  or  nearly  the  entire  period  of 
his  residence  in  this  city;  and  is  as  well  acquainted  with  eccle¬ 
siastical,  as  with  legal  business.  He  has  constantly  been  a 
stanch  supporter  of  his  own  branch  of  the  church ;  and  a  reli¬ 
able  helper  in  any  thing  properly  claiming  his  aid  in  any  other 
connection. 


WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 


'7 


\ 


The  first  church  edifice  of  the  Presbyterian  connection  was 
■erected  upon  the  alley  on  Clark  Street;  between  Lake  and 
Randolph,  on  the  West  side  of  the  street,  (54  Clark  street,) 
where  the  firm  of  S.  H.  Kerfoot  c%  Co.  are  now  situated.  The 
building  fronted  towards  Lake  St. ;  and  a  large  slough  run 
diagonally  through  the  lot  in  front  of  the  Church,  which,  on 
rainy  Sabbaths,  and  in  wet  times,  was  bridged  by  benches 
from  the  Church.  The  writer  of  this,  has  a  distinct  recollection 
of  thus  reaching  the  interior  of  this  place  of  worship.  This 
church,  was  at  the  time,  the  only  one  erected  by  any  denomina¬ 
tion;  though  the  Baptists,  Methodists,  and  Episcopalians,  all 
had  a  church  organization ;  and  the  Catholics  had  a  small 
Chapel  near  the  corner  of  Washington  Street  and  Michigan 
Avenue.  A  few  families  lived  on  the  north  side  of  the  river, 
and  a  few  stores  of  goods  had  been  opened  there.  The  town 
had  no  sidewalks;  and  mud  of  no  very  certain  depth,  was 
plenty,  and  easily  reached.  Nothing  like  a  harbor  existed; 
and  vessels  were  accustomed  to  lie  outside,  and  unload  by 
lighters. 

In  1840,  Mr.  Brown  was  appointed  School  Agent;  an  office 
which  involved  the  care  of  the  funds  for  School  purposes  in 
this  city.  His  election  was  almost  accidental ;  being  by  a 
majority  of  one  only  of  the  Whig  party,  with  which  he  always 
acted.  His  acceptance  was  on  the  condition,  that  his  services 
should  be  gratuitous ;  and  this  very  likely  contributed  to  keep 
him  in  the  office,  at  a  time  when  party  greed  watched  for  every 
post  of  profit,  however  small,  very  much  as  hungry  dogs  watched 
for  bones,  without  regard  to  their  size,  or  the  sort  of  animals 
to  which  they  belong.  Perhaps  the  city  never  made  a  more 
fortunate  hit,  either  by  blunder  or  design ;  for  the  state  of  our 
Schools  hitherto  had  been  most  deplorable.  The  School  Fund 
was  all  unproductive ;  having  been  let,  for  the  most  part,  to 
parties  who  had  failed  to  jaay,  either  principal  or  interests. 
There  were  no  school-houses  fit  for  use,  and  the  whole  matter 
of  Schools  was  in  a  decidedly  helter-skelter  condition.  The 
real  era  of  a  change  dates  with  the  election  of  Mr.  Brown  to 
this  office  of  School  Agent.  Confidence  began  at  once  to  re¬ 
vive  ;  for  all  parties,  even  the  hungry  ones,  felt  that  the  fund 
was  now  safe.  ■ 

It  was  no  small  labor  to  collect  the  scattered  fragments  of 
the  fuud,  and  put  them  in  shape  to  be  productive ;  but  it  was 
accomplished :  and  though  Mr.  B.  devoted  twelve  or  thirteen 
years  to  this  business,  in  connection  with  his  other  affairs; 
loaning  it  out  as  it  was  collected,  lie  never  made  an  uncollect¬ 
able  debt.  The  Schools  gradually  assumed  tone  and  character ; 
suitable  houses  were  built,  and  the  system,  as  it  now  is,  gained 
shape  and  consistency. 

At  the  time  of  his  resignation  of  the  office  of  School  Agent, 


8 


WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 


in  view  of  his  gratuitous  services,  the  Common  Council  of  the 
city  passed  the  following  resolutions: 

“  IFherecis,  In  the  resignation  of  Wm.  II.  Brown,  late  School 
Agent,  the  community  have  lost  the  services  of  a  faithful,  dili¬ 
gent,  and  meritorious  officer;  one  who  for  the  long  period  of 
thirteen  years  has  bestowed  a  paternal  care — to  the  fostering 
and  judicious  management  of  that  sacred  trust  —  the  School 
Fund;  and 

Whereas,  Although  the  unsolicited  expression  of  public  ap¬ 
probation  may  not  add  one  iota  to  the  already  established 
character  of  the  individual,  who  is  the  object  of  it;  yet  we 
believe  that  a  testimonial,  of  this  nature,  may  afford  to  any 
honorable  mind  a  feeling  of  pleasure  and  gratification  on  retir¬ 
ing  from  office,  with  the  unbiased  verdict  of  well  done  thou' 
good  and  faithful  servant. 

Thereupon  be  it  resolved  by  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  the 
City  of  Chicago  in  Common  Council  assembled. 

That  we  tender  to  Wm.  H.  Brown,  late  School  Agent,  our 
fullest  expression  of  respect  and  approbation,  for  the  correct 
and  judicious  manner  in  which,  for  such  a  long  period  of 
years,  he  has  fulfilled  the  duties  appertainting  to  his  late 
position. 

Resolved,  That  in  the  economical  execution  and  careful  at¬ 
tention,  with  which  the  late  agent  has  performed  his  official 
requirements,  we  have  presented,  for  the  future  guidance  of 
his  successor,  an  example  well  worthy  of  imitation;  and  in 
which  we  discern  the  very  unusual  occurrence  of  a  public 
office  being  held  by  one  individual  for  so  long  a  period,  more 
for  the  promotion  of  a  laudable  and  praisworthy  object,  than 
for  the  emoluments  attached  to  it. 

Resolved,  That  for  the  more  fully  carrying  out  the  intention 
of  this  Preamble  and  Resolutions,  they  be  entered  on  record, 
and  a  copy  presented  to  the  subject  of  them.” 

Mr.  B.  was  one  of  the  first  Inspectors  of  Common  Schools, 
elected  under  the  city  charter;  and  was  in  that  Board  for 
twelve  or  thirteen  consecutive  years.  This  Board  of  inspectors 
lias  been  the  instrument  and  agency,  and  in  good  degree  the 
cause  of  our  present  School  System.  He  was  a  constant  and 
punctual  attendant  at  its  sittings,  and  a  leading  and  influential 
member  of  it ;  and  is  entitled  to  his  share  of  the  credit  of  what 
it  has  done. 

In  the  winter  of  1846,  in  connection  with  a  few  others,  Mr. 
Brown  purchased  the  original  charter  of  the  Galena  and  Chi¬ 
cago  Union  Rail  Road,  from  the  Estate  of  E.  K.  Hubbard,  Esq., 
then  lately  deceased.  Measures  ■were  immediately  taken  to  put 
on  foot  a  working  Railroad  in  the  Northwest.  A  little  piece 
of  road  had  been  built  before  Mr.  Hubbard’s  death,  but  it  was 
never  worked,  and  went  to  decay.  To  start  this  Galena  Road 


WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 


9 


was  an  undertaking  of  no  small  labor.  The  country  was  poor: 
there  were  no  Rail  Roads  anywhere  in  the  West;  and  nobody 
had  much  faith  in  them,  nor  in  fact  in  anything  else.  So  com¬ 
pletely  had  all  confidence  been  wrecked,  in  the  great  revulsions 
of  1836,  and  onward,  that  nobody  was  willing  to  embark  in  any 
new  scheme,  either  with  effort  or  capital.  The  extent  to  which 
this  was  then  true,  cannot  be  conceived  of  now,  by  those  who 
have  no  experience  in  t hat  chapter  of  our  history.  This  Galena 
Road  was  therefore  looked  upon  as  a  very  doubtful  affair;  and 
any  amount  of  writing  and  cyphering,  conventioning  and  speech¬ 
making,  was  necessary  to  get  it  started.  The  farmers  in  the 
country,  who  had  felt  in  all  their  bones,  as  well  as  pockets, 
the  need  of  some  means  of  getting  to  market  with  their  crops, 
were  much  more  alive  to  it  than  our  city  property  holders; 
who  had  saved  what  little  they  had  out  of  the  fire,  so  to  speak; 
and  who  did  not  like  to  risk  it  again  beyond  their  fingers’  ends. 
But  the  farmers  were  poor  and  able  to  take  but  little  stock ; 
and  as  the  citizens  would  not  risk  much,  the  road  was  begun 
on  a  rather  small  scale.  Mr.  B.  became  one  of  the  largest  sub¬ 
scribers  to  the  stock,  and  is  yet  one  of  the  most  extensive  of 
its  stockholders.  Ho  has  always  been  a  Director  of  the  Road, 
and  is  now  its  Vice-President.  He  has  therefore  had  ample 
opportunity  to  aid  in  giving  shape  to  the  policy  under  which 
that  Road  has  been  managed. 

Mr.  Brown  was  the  very  man  to  have  a  hand  in  that  under¬ 
taking.  Cautious  to  a  degree  verging  on  excess :  knowing  the 
full  value  of  every  dollar  that  passes  through  his  hands :  and 
constitutionally  determined  that  every  dime  shall  do  its  own 
duty,  he  was  the  very  man  to  aid  in  the  beginning  of  a  road, 
without  adequate  means  and  without  confidence,  and  carry  it 
forward,  step  by  step,  to  successs.  The  first  twelve  miles  of 
the  road  only  cost  about  $6000  per  mile;  but  the  first  twelve 
miles  told  the  story,  for  they  showed  that  the  road  could  be 
built,  and  would  pay.  This  road  has  been  the  goose  that  has 
laid  our  golden  eggs.  It  is  the  mother  of  all  the  rest  in  our 
Northwest. 

Mr.  B.  is  a  man  of  capital.  He  had  acquired  a  competency 
before  his  removal  to  this  city,  and  since  that  time,  with  the 
exception  of  the  perilous  years  succeeding  1836,  has  been  con¬ 
stantly  adding  to  the  amount.  He  early  became  possessed  of 
considerable  tracts  of  real  estate,  which  has  of  late,  very  rapidly 
enhanced  in  value.  He  has  entered  into  no  rash  speculations, 
nor  made  any  desperate  pushes  for  fortune.  He  takes  care  of 
what  he  has;  and  adds  to  it  when  he  can  do  so  with  safety. 
He  has  never  entered  so  largely  upon  building  as  have  some 
others,  but  has  expended  considerable  sums  in  that  way  at  one 
time  and  another.  His  late  residence,  at  the  N  -W.  cor.  of  Pine 
and  Illinois  Streets,  North  Side,  he  erected  at  a  cost  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  in  1836;  and  it  was,  at  that  time,  considered 


io 


WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 


the  best  house  in  the  city.  He  is  now  building  a  residence, 
with  front  of  Athens  marble,  on  Michigan  Avenue,  to  cost  about 
thirty  thousand  dollars.  As  to  his  i/resent  possessions,  he  is 
not  a  man  who  makes  any  exhibition  of  his  property.  His 
answer  to  a  question  regarding  it,  was,  that  the  inquirer  would 
have  “to  guess  as  to  the  amount.”  Our  guess  therefore  is,  that 
it  will  not  foil  below  $500,000,  and  may  go  to  twice  that  sum, 
or  even  above  that. 

Mr.  Brown  is  personally  a  tall,  well-formed  man,  with  a 
slight  stoop  of  the  shoulders ;  with  a  keen  dark  eye,  and  hair 
once  black  as  the  raven,  but  now  inclining  to  iron  gray.  When 
young,  he  is  said  to  have  been  a  very  fine-looking  man,  and  we 
can  well  believe  it,  for  he  holds  his  honors  very  well  as  yet. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  giving  man;  being  applied  to.  perhaps,  in 
aid  of  more  charities  than  any  one  man  in  the  city;  and  perhaps 
he  answers  to  as  many,  or  more,  than  any  man.  But  he  is  not 
naturally  a  giver,  for  his  motto  is,  to  keep  what  he  has :  and 
his  native  answer  to  all  applications,  when  that  answer  does 
not  flow  through  the  channel  of  his  Christian  principles,  would 
very  likely  be  his  easy  No!  His  manner  is  often  brusque /  but 
his  heart  is  kindly;  and  though  he  who  comes  to  him  for  an 
object  not  wholly  explained,  may  be  chilled  by  the  perpendicu¬ 
larities  of  a  nervous  impatience,  which  explodes  suddenly :  he 
has  only  to  wait  for  the  flow  of  kindness  and  good  sense,  which 
is  sure  to  come,  to  be  reassured. 

Mr.  Brown  has  the  talent  of  good  common  sense;  one  most 
certainly  of  which  the  world  lias  need,  as  fully  as  of  any  other; 
this,  with  his  inflexible  integrity,  gives  him  a  position  in  regard 
to  trusts,  both  public  and  private,  held  by  few  men  in  our 
city.-  He  is  now  in  the  midst  of  well  ripened  middle  life,  and 
yet  in  active  duty — a  large  part  of  it  connected  with  these 
trusts,  of  various  kinds,  put  into  liis  hands.  We  say  of  him, 
as  Horace  said  of  Augustus — we  forget  the  Latin  of  it  —  but 
the  meaning  of  it  is,  “  Late  may  he  go  hence.” 

Mr.  Brown  died  in  Amsterdam.  Holland.  June  17.  1867.  aged 
72  years. 


HON.  WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 


By  R.  W.  PATTERSON,  D.  D. 


The  present  writer  has  been  requested  to  add  to  the  fore¬ 
going  sketch  of  Mr.  Brown’s  life  such  facts  as  may  be  within 
his  knowledge.  Being  obliged  to  depend  solely  on  his  own 
memory,  he  cannot  hope  to  give  such  interesting  particulars  as 
may  probably  be  known  to  other  parties. 

During  the  financial  troubles  of  1857-1860,  Mr.  Brown  care¬ 
fully  managed  his  affairs,  and  escaped  serious  embarrassment, 
having,  as  usual,  kept  out  of  debt,  and  taken  good  care  of  his 
property.  In  the  year  1860,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  in  the  State  Legislature.  In  this  po¬ 
sition  he  acquitted  himself  honorably  and  usefully,  being 
among  the  most  industrious,  judicious,  and  influential  members 
of  the  body. 

In  the  great  struggle  for  the  preservation  of  our  government, 
which  may  be  said  to  have  commenced  in  a  decided  form  in 
1856,  and  which  culminated  in  the  memorable  rebellion  in 
1861,  Mr.  Brown,  as  might  have  been  expected,  was  deeply  en¬ 
listed  for  the  cause  of  liberty  and  the  Union.  During  the 
Presidential  canvass  of  1860,  he  took  an  active  part  in  support 
of  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  was  as  much  elated,  perhaps,  as  any  man  by 
the  success  of  the  Republicans.  When,  however,  the  rebellion 
of  the  Southern  States  became  a  certain  fact,  and  internal  war 
was  inevitable,  he  was  very  much  depressed,  feeling,  as  he  often 
said  to  the  writer,  that  no  one  could  predict  the  end.  But  he 
had  faith  in  God,  and  had  no  doubt  that  it  was  the  duty  of 
every  good  citizen  to  stand  for  the  defence  of  the  right  and  the 
support  of  good  government  at  whatever  sacrifice.  He  cheer- 

i  a 


XII 


WILLIAM  II.  BROWN. 


fully  paid  his  taxes  to  the  Government,  incurred  by  the  war,  and 
gave  up  his  sons  to  the  service  of  his  country  without  a 
murmur. 

After  the  war,  as  age  was  advancing  upon  him,  Mr.  Brown 
retired,  in  part,  from  business ;  devoting  himself,  chiefly,  to  the 
management  of  his  own  property.  But  he  never  lost  his  inter¬ 
est  in  the  public  welfare,  and  never  gave  up  his  positions  in  the 
several  Boards  of  trust  with  which  he  was  connected,  such  as 
those  of  the  Chicago  Orphan  Asylum,  and  the  Insane  Asylum 
at  Jacksonville.  He  continued  to  be  active  and  faithful  as  a 
member  and  an  elder  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  until 
his  departure  for  Europe,  shortly  before  his  death.  lie  several 
times  represented  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago  in  the  General  As¬ 
sembly  as  a  Ruling  Elder,  and  was  widely  known  in  the  deno¬ 
mination  as  among  the  most  reliable  friends  of  its  enterprises. 
For  many  years,  he  was  a  corporate  member  of  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  to  whose  funds 
he  was  a  large  contributor  during  his  life,  and  by  a  handsome 
provision  in  his  will.  And  the  cause  of  Home  Missions  had 
few,  if  any,  more  generous  helpers.  He  was  deeply  interested, 
also,  during  all  his  later  years,  in  the  Mission  Sunday  School 
work,  and  in  the  Bethel  cause,  while  in  his  own  particular 
church  he  was  always  among  the  foremost  givers,  and  the  most 
devoted  and  steadfast  supporters,  being  uniformly  in  his  place 
on  the  Sabbath  and  in  the  weekly  prayer  meeting,  as  well  as  on 
special  occasions. 

In  the  summer  of  the  year  I860,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  left 
Chicago  on  a  tour  to  Europe,  partly  for  pleasure  and  partly  on 
account  of  his  failing  health.  During  this  trip,  his  keen  relish 
for  new  scenes,  and  his  habit  of  activity,  led  him  to  exert  him¬ 
self  beyond  his  strength.  After  traveling  through  Great  Bri¬ 
tain  and  extensively  through  the  countries  of  Europe,  he  occa¬ 
sionally  exhibited  signs  of  exhaustion,  and  in  Amsterdam, 
Holland,  he  was  taken  with  the  small-pox.  When  he  seemed 
almost  recovered  from  this  distressing  disease,  and  was  prepar¬ 
ing  to  resume  his  travels,  he  was  suddenly  seized  with  paralysis, 
and  shortly  sank  under  it,  dying  peacefully  on  the  17th  of 
June,  1867,  at  the  age  of  72  year's.  In  the  early  part  of  August, 
following,  the  writer  visited  the  old  Bible  House  and  the  room 


WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 


XIII 


in  which  Mr.  Brown's  spirit  took  its  flight,  went  to  his  grave,, 
and  saw  the  coffin  that  contained  all  of  him  that  was  mortal. 

In  the  autumn  of  that  year,  his  remains  were  transferred  to 
their  final  resting-place  in  Graceland  Cemetery. 

His  widow,  Mrs.  Harriet  C.  Brown;  his  four  sons,  S.  Lock- 
wood,  Charles  B.,  Theodore  F.,  and  Frederick,  and  his  daugh¬ 
ter,  Mrs.  Mary  Tyler,  survive  him,  and  are  still  residents  of 
Chicago. 

I  trust  I  shall  be  pardoned  if  I  now  add  some  of  my  own 
personal  recollections  and  impressions  of  Mr.  Brown,  as  I  knew 
him  in  his  public  and  private  relations. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  become  acquainted  with  Mr.  Brown 
in  the  year  1833,  when  I  was  a  student  in  Illinois  College, 
although  I  had  known  him,  by  reputation,  for  a  considerable 
time  before.  For  he  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  this  State 
almost  from  its  admission  into  the  Union,  having  become  a 
citizen  in  the  Territory  while  he  was  yet  a  very  young  man,  and 
having  risen  to  a  position  of  distinction  and  public  usefulness 
before  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five  years.  Being, 
when  I  first  saw  him,  among  the  more  noted  friends  of  church 
music  in  the  State,  he  was  invited  to  attend  a  musical  conven¬ 
tion  at  Jacksonville,  which  was  held  immediately  after  the  an¬ 
nual  commencement  in  the  College.  In  this  way  I  was  first 
drawn  to  him  as  being  interested  in  a  subject  that  always  en¬ 
grossed  a  share  of  my  own  thought  and  attention.  After  that 
occasion,  I  kept  up  a  knowledge  of  his  movements  until  the 
year  1840,  when  I  met  him  again  in  Chicago,  where  he  had  al¬ 
ready  resided  for  some  years,  and  was  an  officer  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church.  During  the  summer  of  that  year,  I 
learned  more  of  his  personal  traits  and  peculiarities  than  I  had 
known  before,  and  was  more  than  ever  attracted  to  him.  From 
that  time  onward  until  his  death,  I  knew  him  intimately  as  a 
friend  and  as  an  Elder  in  the  church  of  which  I  was  Pastor 
from  its  organization  in  1842,  till  the  year  1873,  six  years  after 
his  decease  in  Europe.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  I  had  an  op¬ 
portunity  of  special  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Brown,  such  as  few 
others  enjoyed.  And  still  cherishing  his  memory  with  the 
warmest  regard,  I  take  pleasure  in  adding  this  small  contribu¬ 
tion  to  the  memorial  of  him,  which  it  is  the  desire  of  his 


XIV 


WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 


family  and  friends  to  put  on  permanent  record  in  this  volume. 

I  have  known  well  and  long  many  of  Mr.  Brown’s  attached 
friends,  among  whom  were  Joseph  Eccles,  Esq.,  of  Hillsbor¬ 
ough,  Hon.  Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  formerly  of  Jacksonville,  and 
who  died  two  years  ago  at  Batavia ;  Hon.  Thos.  Mather,  Hon. 
John  T.  Stuart,  John  Todd,  M.D.,  and  Rev.  John  G.  Bergen,  D. 
D.,  of  Springfield;  President  Abraham  Lincoln;  Rev.  William 
K.  Stewart,  of  Vandalia;  and  Rev.  Thuron  Baldwin,  D.D.,  late 
of  New  Jersey.  A  man  who  commanded  the  confidence  of  such 
gentlemen  must  have  possessed  excellences  of  no  ordinary 
class.  Especially  deserving  of  mention  wras  the  life-long  inti¬ 
macy  between  him  and  Judge  Lockwood,  one  of  the  purest  and 
noblest  men  Illinois  ever  numbered  among  her  jurists  and  citi¬ 
zens.  Only  a  year  before  Judge  Lockwood’s  death,  in  conver¬ 
sation  with  the  writer,  he  referred  in  the  most  affectionate 
terms  to  his  lamented  friend,  Mr.  Brown,  whom  he  was  accus¬ 
tomed  to  visit  every  month  during  all  the  later  years  of  his 
life.  I  well  remember  the  estimation  in  which  Mr.  Brown  was 
held  by  the  older  citizens  of  the  State — lawyers,  physicians, 
clergymen,  and  others,  such  as  Judge  Pope,  Benj.  Mills,  Esq., 
Dr.  Newhall,  Hon.  David  A.  Smith,  and  Rev.  John  M.  Peck, 
D.D. 

Among  the  notable  traits  of  Mr.  Brown’s  character  were  the 
following : 

1.  He  was  fair  and  conscientious  in  his  political  commitments 
and  action.  He  was  decided  in  his  convictions,  first  as  a  Whig 
and  then  as  a  Republican,  but  never  did  I  know  or  hear  of  his 
espousing  the  cause  of  a  notoriously  bad  man  of  his  own  party. 
He  may  on  some  occasions  have  quietly  voted  for  one  man  of 
questionable  character,  but  of  good  principles,  in  preference  to 
another  worse  man  whose  principles  he  deemed  erroneous  and 
mischievous.  But  he  never  warmly  supported  a  corrupt  man 
of  any  party.  And  he  always  urged  the  nomination  of  good 
men.  lie  was  not  a  political  partisan,  but  a  true,  generous 
patriot. 

2.  Mr.  Brown  was  a  sincere  philanthropist.  He  abhorred 
those  levelling  ideas  of  equality  that  would  destroy  all  the 
rights  of  property,  and  break  up  family  and  social  ties  as  es¬ 
tablished  at  present  in  civilized  communities.  But  he  earnestly 


WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 


XV 


contended  for  individual  and  political  liberty,  and  while  he 
never  favored  what  seemed  to  him  impracticable  schemes  for 
the  emancipation  of  the  enslaved,  he  firmly  resisted  the  efforts 
that  were  made  for  the  introduction  of  slavery  into  this  State, 
and  did  more,  perhaps,  than  any  other  man  to  avert  that  great 
curse  from  Illinois,  when  parties  were  nearly  equally  balanced; 
thus  saving  the  State  for  the  cause  of  freedom — an  event,  that, 
in  its  consequences,  probably  turned  the  scale  in  favor  of  our 
national  government  in  the  recent  bloody  strife  between  the 
North  and  the  South.  Mr.  Brown  was  not  a  sentimental  phil¬ 
anthropist;  he  carefully  inquired  how  he  could  do  the  most  for 
humanity  at  large,  instead  of  yielding  to  every  momentary  im¬ 
pulse  on  the  presentation  of  distress.  Thus  he  co-operated 
with  every  well-devised  endeavor  to  provide  for  the  needy  and 
the  suffering,  while  he  sometimes  turned  away  the  improvident 
beggar.  He  was  a  foremost  friend  of  orphan  asylums,  hospitals, 
and  other  kindred  institutions  established  by  the  State  or  by 
private  beneficence,  doing  always  his  full  share  to  help  them. 
He  was  philanthropic  on  principle,  and  not  from  mere  impulse. 

3.  He  was,  in  general,  a  liberal  and  useful  member  of  society. 
He  gave  generously  to  every  cause  that  commended  itself  to  his 
judgment,  while  at  times  he  firmly  rejected  applications  that 
seemed  to  him  unworthy  of  patronage.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
name  a  good  enterprise  begun  in  Chicago,  during  his  residence 
in  the  city,  for  which  he  did  not  contribute.  And  he  was  an 
active  helper  in  a  great  number  of  patriotic  endeavors.  I  used 
to  think  there  was  scarcely  another  man  in  Chicago  whose  name 
was  found  high  up  on  more  subscription  papers,  or  who  was  a 
member  of  more  committees  and  boards  organized  for  benefi¬ 
cent  purposes. 

4.  Mr.  Brown  was  scrupulously  honest  and  trustful  in  every 
relation  of  life.  I  never  knew  him  to  be  accused  of  unfairness 
or  deception  in  any  business  transaction.  I  never  heard  a  sus¬ 
picion  breathed  against  his  integrity.  I  never  met  with  a  per¬ 
son  who  ventured  to  charge  him  with  untruthfulness  or  prevari¬ 
cation.  He  always  seemed  to  me  unusually  fair  and  candid  in 
his  statements  of  facts.  I  am  sure  I  express  the  judgment  of 
all  those  who  knew  him  best  when  I  say  that  he  was  extraordi¬ 
narily  exact  in  his  adherence  to  the  requirements  of  truth  and 


XVI 


WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 


justice,  both  in  speech  and  conduct.  This  would  hardly  have 
been  denied  by  his  bitterest  enemy. 

5.  He  was  naturally  conservative,  but  never  seemed  to  re¬ 
gard  public  opinion,  when  his  duty  required  him  to  assume 
unpopular  ground.  lie  never  betrayed  any  cause  to  which  he 
had  pledged  his  support,  however  misrepresented  and  misun¬ 
derstood  it  may  have  become.  And  yet  he  was  open  to  convic¬ 
tion  in  regard  to  the  wisdom  of  any  measure  that  he  might 
have  formerly  sustained  or  refused  to  further  by  his  money  or 
jiersonal  influence.  He  was  not  vacillating  in  his  judgments, 
for  he  usually  considered  every  subject  carefully  before  he 
formed  his  opinions  respecting  it.  But  I  always  expected  to 
obtain  a  fair  hearing  when  I  undertook  to  present  reasons  for 
any  view  of  a  subject  which  I  knew'  he  did  not  favor;  and  in 
several  instances  he  changed  his  grounds  sooner  than  I  had 
hoped  for.  In  business  matters,  he  was.  perhaps,  too  conserva¬ 
tive  for  such  a  city  as  Chicago ;  but,  on  the  wThole,  his  slowness 
to  fall  in  with  the  prevailing  estimates  of  property  was,  it  may 
be,  a  good  safeguard  to  his  financial  interests,  and  it  tended  to 
moderate  the  enthusiasm  of  the  speculative  spirit  in  times  of 
dangerous  inflation.  Had  he  lived,  he  would,  no  doubt,  have 
passed  through  this  present  trying  crisis  without  disaster  to  his 
private  fortunes. 

6.  Though  not  a  man  of  brilliant  mental  powers.  Mr.  Brown 
was  possessed  of  excellent  practical  judgment.  He  was  not 
liberally  educated,  but  he  was  not  ignorant  of  books,  and  knew 
much  more  of  the  world  than  most  men  of  more  varied  learn¬ 
ing.  Ilis  opinion  in  regard  to  matters  of  Church,  State,  or  busi¬ 
ness,  was  always  worthy  of  consideration.  In  fact,  he  seldom 
made  a  great  mistake.  I  relied  on  his  practical  judgment,  es¬ 
pecially  in  trying  situations,  as  on  that  of  fewr  other  men ;  for 
he  was  scarcely  ever  carried  away  by  temporary  excitement,  and 
he  never  lost  sight  of  the  main  interests  involved  in  any  ques¬ 
tion,  personal  or  public.  Hence  his  counsel  was  often  sought 
in  relation  to  practical  difficulties,  both  in  church  and  in  pri¬ 
vate  affairs. 

7.  He  was  a  most  agreeable  gentleman  in  social  intercourse, 
and  "was  warmly  regarded  as  a  personal  friend.  Those  who 
knew  him  only  slightly  had  but  little  idea  of  his  pow'er  of 


WILLIAM  H.  BROWN. 


XVII 


imparting  interest  to  a  social  circle.  His  conversation  was  al¬ 
ways  entertaining,  and  hence  his  presence  was  sought  and 
valued  in  general  society.  His  house  was  the  favorite  resort  of 
many  gentlemen  and  families,  who  were  attracted  by  his  gen¬ 
erous  hospitality  and  the  cordiality  of  his  excellent  lady. 

As  a  friend,  Mr.  Brown  could  be  safely  trusted  in  all  emer¬ 
gencies.  He  never  flattered,  and  at  times  seemed  cold  and  un¬ 
sympathetic  ;  but  in  the  season  of  need  he  was  uniformly  a 
ready  helper,  and  he  could  be  relied  on  to  speak  kindly  of  you 
behind  your  back,  if  he  professed  friendship  to  your  face.  He 
could  disagree  with  you  without  any  breach  of  friendship. 
For  he  knew  how  to  distinguish  between  great  and  little 
things.  I  sometimes  thought  it  my  duty  to  dissent  from  his 
opinion  and  to  contend  with  him  in  regard  to  points  of  differ¬ 
ence.  But  I  could  never  see  that  it  made  any  change  in  his 
subsequent  deportment  towards  me.  As  a  friend  he  was  not 
demonstrative,  but  he  was  eminently  true. 

8.  Mr.  Brown  was  a  man  of  positive  opinions  in  regard  to  the 
character  of  others,  but  his  judgments  were,  on  the  whole, 
charitable.  lie  sometimes  spoke  severely  of  others,  but  not 
without  apparent  reason.  He  was,  for  the  most  part,  careful  iu 
his  utterances  respecting  his  neighbors,  and  if  he  said  anything 
unfavorable,  it  was  usually  qualified  by  some  kinder  expression. 
He  was,  by  no  means,  guilty  of  double-dealing  in  his  inter¬ 
course  with  men.  If  he  was  not  always  exactly  tender  of  the 
reputation  of  others,  he  was  usually  reserved  in  the  expression 
of  adverse  judgments,  and  almost  uniformly  he  spoke  kindly 
and  commendingly  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow-citizens.  He 
was  not  a  mischief-maker,  and  frequently  merited  the  name  of  a 
peace-maker. 

9.  From  intimate  knowledge  of  Mr.  Brown’s  principles,  con¬ 
victions,  feelings,  and  conduct  in  a  great  variety  of  relations,  I 
can  truly  say  that  I  believe  him  to  have  been  a  sincerely  and 
thoroughly  Christian  man.  His  religion  was  not  impulsive, 
and  he  made  no  loud  professions  of  zeal  and*spirituality.  But 
I  was  always  impressed  with  his  evident  depth  of  conviction  in 
regard  to. the  truth  and  claims  of  the  Gospel,  the  purity  of  his 
Christian  aims,  the  honesty  and  simplicity  of  his  devotions,  and 
his  unfeigned  and  practical  consecration  to  the  service  of  the 


XVIII 


WILLIAM  II.  BROWN. 


Church  aud  of  his  Lord.  Few  men  have  led  more  consistent 
Christian  lives.  His  dying  breath  was  one  of  prayer,  and  un¬ 
doubtedly  “he  entered  heaven  with  prayer.” 

In  all  that  has  been  said,  it  has  not  been  designed  to  assert  or 
imply  that  Mr.  Brown  was,  in  the  ordinary  sense,  a  popular 
man.  He  had  a  certain  severity  of  manner,  in  his  intercourse 
with  strangers,  and  sometimes  with  friends,  that  caused  him  to 
be  misunderstood  and  misjudged.  He  did  not  sufficiently 
study  the  amenities  of  life,  and  he  paid  the  temporal  penalty 
of  this  neglect.  Contrary  to  the  common  rule,  he  was  most  es¬ 
teemed  and  loved  by  those  who  best  knew  his  inner  life.  It 
was  necessary  to  get  through  the  outer  shell  to  the  real  man  to 
appreciate  the  nobleness  of  his  character.  Those  persons  who 
did  this,  will  fully  justify  all  that  I  have  said  of  him. 

Mr.  Brown’s  memory  will  be  blessed,  not  only  by  his  own 
family,  but  by  many  friends,  who  felt,  when  he  died,  that  a 
good  and  really  great  man  had  fallen,  aud  who  will  keep  his 
virtues  embalmed  in  their  hearts,  when  the  blander  traits  of 
many  more  pliant  men  who  were  more  widely  applauded  in  life 
will  be  forgotten. 


'r">  iiiBB$ai}S^(2mtrrSU& 


BENJAMIN  W.  RAYMOND,  ESQ. 


[  From  the  Chicago  Magazine,  April,  1857.  J 

Late  in  the  seventeenth  century,  a  few  Huguenots,  driven 
from  France  by  persecution  to  England,  settled  afterwards  in. 
New  England.  The  subject  of  this  sketeh  is  a  descendant 
from  these,  on  his  father’s  side.  He  was  born  in  Home,  Oneida 
county,  New  York,  in  1801 ;  and  was  the  son  of  Benjamin  Ray¬ 
mond,  who,  as  early  as  1796,  left  his  birth-place,  Richmond, 
Berkshire  county,  Mass.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Wright,  one  of  the  brothers  of  that  name  who,  emigrating  from 
Weathersfield,  Conn.,  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Rome, 
which  was  long  known  as  Wright’s  Settlement,  in  the  wilder¬ 
ness  of  the  then  West.  His  father  was  engaged  for  some  years 
in  connection  with  the  late  Judge  Wright,  (afterwards  chief 
engineer  of  the  Erie  canal,)  in  surveying  into  townships  the 
northern  counties  of  New  York :  and  which  were  then  all  a 
wilderness,  from  the  Mohawk  River  northward  to  the  St.  Law¬ 
rence.  He  selected  the  site  of  the  town  of  Potsdam,  in  St. 
Lawrence  county,  where  he  lived  for  several  years,  and  where 
he  held  the  office  of  Judge  for  the  county.  He  died  in  1824,  in 
the  state  of  Delaware ;  being  then  engaged  as  engineer  upon 
the  Delaware  and  Chesapeake  Canal. 

The  early  years  of  Benjamin  W.  were  spent  with  an  aunt  in 
Wliitestown,  New  York,  having  lost  his  mother  at  the  age  of 
five  years.  When  he  had  reached  the  age  of  ten,  he  was  taken 
home  to  pursue  his  education  in  an  academy  which  his  father 
had  established ;  having  erected,  at  his  own  expense,  a  building 
to  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  a  high  school  and  of  public  wor¬ 
ship.  Here  he  spent  four  years,  dividing  his  time  between 
school  and  the  duties  of  a  clerk  in  a  village  store.  He  also 
spent  a  good  part  of  a  year  at  school  in  Montreal,  boarding 
with  a  French  family  where  no  English  was  spoken. — After¬ 
wards  he  resumed  his  clerkship  at  his  father’s  store,  in  Norfolk, 
St.  Lawrence  Co.,  and  wound  up  his  school  attendance  in  the 
study  of  practical  mathematics,  particularly  surveying,  which 
he  afterwards  practiced  to  some  extent. 

His  introduction  to  the  more  responsible  cares  of  business 
took  place  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  when  he  was  sent  down  the 
Ratehett  River,  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  to  Montreal,  with  a  large 
quantity  of  lumber,  which  he  was  to  sell  and  account  for,  and 


I  2 


BENJAMIN  \Y.  RAYMOND. 


in  which  lie  acquitted  himself  to  the  full  satisfaction  of  his 
employer.  About  two  years  after  this,  he  purchased  a  small 
stock  of  goods,  and  commenced  business  on  his  own  account : 
but  his  father  dying  soon  after,  he  was  left,  at  the  age  of  22,  the 
eldest  of  nine  orphan  children,  without  other  means  of  support 
than  his  small  stock  of  goods,  purchased  on  credit,  and  sold,  of 
necessity,  under  all  the  disadvantages  of  a  new  country  without 
currency,  or  other  means  of  purchase;  and  dependant  on  a  bar¬ 
ter  of  crude  commodities  for  whatever  trade  was  done.  As  his 
eldest  brother  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age,  he  soon  saw  the 
impossibility  of  sustaining  the  family  at  Norfolk,  and  so  closed 
his  business  at  that  place,  in  debt  to  his  largest  creditor  to  the 
amount  of  $(500,  (which  was  paid  in  instalments  some  years 
afterwards),  and  started  for  Oneida  county,  once  more  to  try  a 
new  tack  for  his  life  voyage.  Here,  a  clerkship  introduced  him 
to  a  partnership  in  business  with  Mr.  Wm.  Wright,  one  of  the 
oldest  merchants  at  Rome,  which  was  continued  for  three  years. 
A  feeling  of  responsibility  on  account  of  his  orphan  brothers 
and  sisters  induced  habits  of  the  strictest  industry  and  econ¬ 
omy,  and  led  him  to  adopt  those  principles  of  temperance  to 
which  he  has  ever  since  adhered.  The  circle  of  young  men 
into  which  he  had  been  thrown  in  St.  Lawrence  county  were 
dissipated,  and  their  gayety  was  not  without  a  charm  for  young 
Raymond.  But  when  returning  to  Oneida  county  he  firmly 
resolved  to  leave  all  such  associates  behind,  and  to  seek  for  the 
future  only  the  society  of  the  strictly  virtuous.  Temperance 
societies  were  not  yet  invented ;  but  Mr.  Raymond  made  a 
pledge  for  himself,  and  has  kept  it  to  this  day. 

It  was  here,  during  the  great  revival  of  religion,  in  which 
Rev.  C.  G.  Finney  figured  as  the  chief  preacher,  that  Mr.  Ray¬ 
mond  made  a  profession  of  religion,  early  in  the  year  182(5. 

One  of  the  first  Young  Mens’  Temperance  Societies  in  the 
State  was  formed  at  Rome,  and  Mr.  Raymond  at  once  relin¬ 
quished  the  sale  of  liquors,  though  it  was  a  very  important 
source  of  profit  to  the  merchant  at  that  time.  That  was  in 
1828 

In  1831,  Mr.  Raymond  formed  his  first  acquaintance  with  his 
future  friend  and  partner,  Hon.  S.  N.  Dexter;  and  very  soon 
after  turned  his  steps  westward,  determined  to  seek  his  fortune 
in  what  was  then  the  far  west ;  with  a  promise  from  Mr.  Dexter 
that  if  he  should  find  a  good  place  near  the  western  lakes  for 
settlement  and  trade,  he  would  supply  him  the  capital  neces¬ 
sary  for  a  commencement  of  business.  In  this  journey  he 
pushed  westward  through  northern  Ohio  and  Michigan,  as  far 
as  White  Pigeon ;  the  last  twenty-five  miles  of  which  was 
reached  on  the  back  of  an  Indian  pony,  guided  partly  by  lead 
of  an  Indian  trail,  and  partly  by  the  course  of  the  sun.  He 
found  plenty  of  persons  who,  like  himself,  were  in  search  of 
places  lor  the  sale  of  goods,  but  very  few  who  promised  to  be 


BEX  JAM  IX  \Y.  RAYMOXI). 


13 


purchasers,  and  so  turned  backward  as  far  as  the  town  of  East 
Bloomfield,  in  Western  New  York,  where  he  once  more  com¬ 
menced  business.  Here  he  spent  four  years  in  a  successful 
trade,  connected  with  the  purchase  of  wool.  Here,  also,  one  of 
the  most  important  steps  of  His  life  was  taken,  in  his  entrance 
into  the  matrimonial  relation  with  Miss  Amelia  Porter,  of  East 
Bloomfield,  his  present  wife;  a  step  which  has  probably  had  as 
much  to  do  with  his  success  in  life,  and  the  position  he  now 
occupies,  as  any  other.  Mrs.  Raymond  was  the  mother  of  two 
sons,  one  only  living,  and  now  a  professor  in  Williams  College. 

Finding  that  his  business  did  not  allow  of  much  expansion 
at  East  Bloomfield,  he  began,  in  1835,  to  look  once  more  west¬ 
ward,  and  Chicago  being  then  somewhat  talked  about,  he  at 
once  fixed  his  attention  upon  this  place,  being  confirmed  in  the 
idea,  from  its  natural  position  upon  the  map,  that  it  would  at 
some  time  be  a  place  of  importance ;  and  also  from  a  remark  he 
once  heard  from  Hon.  De  Witt  Clinton;  whose  sagacity  in 
regard  to  such  matters  was  seldom  at  fault. 

In  January,  1836,  he  therefore  set  out  by  stage  for  Chicago, 
being  provided  with  authority  to  draw  upon  his  friend  Dexter 
to  the  amount  of  $10,000,  if  he  chose  to  do  so,  for  purposes  of 
joint  investment  in  real  estate.  After  some  looking  at  Mil¬ 
waukee  and  elsewhere,  and  investing  his  $10,000,  he  returned, 
closed  up  his  business  in  N.  Y.,  and  set  his  stake  in  Chicago 
about  the  1st  of  June,  1836;  having  been  preceded  by  a  large 
stock  of  goods;  which,  however,  having  to  go  by  sail  vessels 
around  the  Lakes,  did  not  arrive  until  July.  The  city  w7as  at 
that  time  running  over  with  merchandise,  wanting  nothing  but 
purchasers.  Such  a  class  of  merchants,  too,  as  were  a  portion  of 
them,  never  seen  elsew  here :  being  mere  adventurers,  who  had, 
by  hook  or  by  crook,  and  commonly  by  both,  got  possession  of 
their  stocks;  their  next  aim  was  to  get  rid  of  them  at  whatever 
price  could  be  had. 

This  disheartening  and  ruinous  condition  of  things,  left  but  a 
poor  chance  for  him  who  thought  only  of  a  legitimate  trade, 
which  should  turn  his  stock  into  cash. — Mr.  R.  wras  therefore 
obliged  to  look  about  him  for  other  avenues  to  hell)  off  his 
goods.  He  established  a  branch  at  Milwaukee,  one  at  Geneva, 
in  Kane  Co.,  and  another  at  DesPlaines,  on  the  Canal. 

The  disasters  of  that  period,  commencing  in  August,  1836, 
were  under  full  headway  for  about  three  years,  and  came  especi¬ 
ally  upon  such  as  had  made  purchases  of  real  estate,  with  notes 
to  mature  from  time  to  time.  The  fall  of  1837  found  the  firm 
of  B.  W.  Raymond  &  Co.  minus  the  ability  to  meet  their  en¬ 
gagements  by  about  $15,000,  in  addition  to  their  loss  of  capital, 
amounting  to  as  many  more.  This  was  a  state  of  things  with  a 
bad  look  to  it,  and  was  fully  made  known  to  his  partner;  but 
Mr.  Dexter  w7as  a  man  with  a  back  bone  in  him,  and  nobly  sus¬ 
tained  the  house  with  $20,000,  as  it  w7as  called  for,  during  the 


14 


BEX  JAM  IN  W.  RAYMOND. 


years  1837-8-9;  so  that,  by  attention  to  meeting  and  securing 
liabilities  as  they  accrued,  the  credit  of  the  house  was  unshaken 
and  their  business  uninterrupted  during  the  whole  period  of 
that  terrible  depression.  From  the  year  1838  to  1843,  business 
was  good,  and  the  firm  had  so  far  retrieved  its  condition  that 
Mr.  Raymond  determined  to  make  an  effort  to  put  himself 
square  with  the  world  again. 

For  this  purpose  he  sold  out  his  stock  of  goods,  receiving 
one-half  in  cash  and  in  paper  running  six  months,  and  the 
balance  in  real  estate.  This  latter  consisted  of  sixty  feet  on 
Clark  street,  including  the  old  Post  Office  on  the  alley  of  the 
Sherman  House  Block,  which  was  valued  at  $5000.  By  this 
sale,  and  by  collecting  dues,  and  by  turning  over  all  his  interest 
in  the  real  estate  owned  by  the  firm,  to  his  partner,  who  was 
the  largest  creditor — Post  Office  property  and  all.  at  its  esti¬ 
mated  value,  the  whole  precisely  paid  the  liabilities  of  B.  W. 
Raymond  &  Co.,  with  7  per  cent,  interest,  together  with  all  the 
private  debts  of  Mr.  Raymond;  and  left  him  with  about  $2000 
for  a  fresh  start.  Mr.  Dexter  rather  objected  to  receiving  all 
the  real  estate  in  their  hands,  as  it  had  begun  again  to  advance, 
and  he  was  anxious  that  Mr.  Raymond  should  share  in  the  pro¬ 
fit.  as  well  as  to  have  borne  the  -labor.  But  Sir.  R.  preferred 
to  have  his  affairs  in  a  shape  to  leave  his  family  with  some 
resources  in  case  of  his  death;  and,  besides,  he  wished  to  have 
one  more  clear  start  in  the  world.  Sir.  Dexter  would,  however, 
only  receive  the  property  on  condition  that  Sir.  Raymond 
should  manage  it  as  he  had  done,  and  gave  him  full  power  of 
attorney  to  that  effect.  After  all  transfers  were  made,  Sir.  D. 
so  arranged  matters  as  that  an  exact  account  should  be  kept  of 
all  real  estate  to  him,  with  7  per  cent,  added  each  year,  and 
then  that  all  profits  over  the  cost  and  interest  should  be  equally 
divided  between  Sir.  R.  and  himself;  as  his  intention,  he  de¬ 
clared  to  be,  that  Sir.  R.  should  not  spend  seven  of  the  best 
years  of  his  life  exclusively  for  his  benefit ;  but  that  if  anything 
was  to  be  made  from  real  estate,  he  should  share  it. 

Previous  to  the  year  1843,  Sir.  R.  purchased,  on  account  of 
Sir.  D.  and  himself,  of  the  late  Jas.  T.  Gifford,  one-half  of  his 
interest  in  the  village  of  Elgin,  and  in  that  year  commenced 
the  erection  of  a  woolen  factory  for  Sir.  Dexter,  which  was  com¬ 
pleted  in  1844.  He  was  also  concerned  in  a  store  at  that  place 
till  1851,  and  owned  considerable  real  estate  in  the  town. 

In  the  year  1839,  he  purchased  the  lot  No.  122,  on  Lake 
street,  Chicago,  and  in  connection  with  Slessrs.  Straclian  & 
Scott,  erected,  not  the  first  brick,  but  the  first  fireproof  stores 
in  the  town.  In  about  three  weeks  after  their  completion,  the 
great  fire  of  that  year  swept  the  whole  block  on  Lake  street, 
from  their  stores  to  Dearborn  street,  including  the  original 
Tremont  House,  standing  diagonally  across  the  street  from  its 
present  position — and  northward  to  the  alley. 


BENJAMIN  W.  RAYMOND. 


15 


In  March,  1839,  Mr.  Raymond  was  put  in  nomination  for 
Mayor  of  the  city,  without  any  expectation  on  his  part  of  an 
election,  since  party  lines  were  then  drawn  in  regard  to  city 
officers,  as  well  as  those  in  the  state  or  nation;  and  Mr.  R.  acted 
with  the  whigs,  while  their  opponents  were  largely  in  the 
ascendant.  He  was,  however,  elected,  together  with  half  the 
Council  on  the  same  side,  which  put  upon  him  the  duty  of 
giving  a  casting  vote,  whenever  the  question  of  office,  or  ap¬ 
pointment,  or  of  party  advantage  should  divide  that  body.  Mr. 
Raymond  acknowdedges  that  for  once  he  was  swayed  by  his- 
friends,  who  insisted  that  he  ought  to  use  his  power  for  the 
party  to  which  he  belonged :  but  that  on  the  next  day  he 
formed  the  resolution  to  which  he  has  since  adhered,  of  never 
voting  for  a  man  whom  he  deemed  unfit,  because  he  was  of  a 
particular  party.  From  that  time  he  has  been  opposed  to  bring¬ 
ing  party  politics  into  the  arena  of  our  municipal  elections. 

During  this  year  the  well-known  counterfeiting  of  the  Canal 
checks  of  $100  occurred.  Mr.  Raymond  gave  such  attention  to 
the  case  that  three  fellows  engaged  in  the  business  were  put 
into  the  clutches  of  justice;  of  whom  two  went  to  Alton,  and 
the  other,*  by  changing  venue,  got  oft'  on  straw  bail,  and  was 
seen  no  more  in  these  parts.  He  brought  up  in  Sing  Sing, 
however,  and  may  be  doing  service  to  the  state  of  New  York 
till  this  day,  for  aught  known  of  him. 

The  Mayor,  at  this  time,  was  paid  a  nominal  salary  of  $1000, 
which,  by  depreciation  of  city  orders,  in  which  it  was  paid, 
reduced  it  to  about  $750.  Mr.  R.  made  no  money  from  his 
office,  however;  for  that  year  being  one  of  great  suffering  on 
the  line  of  the  canal,  the  occupants  of  the  shanties  naturally 
poured  into  the  city  for  relief;  and  the  salary,  drawing  after 
it  more  of  the  same  sort,  went  to  the  aid  of  the  Emeralders,  as 
much  more  has  gone  since;  not  only  from  the  plethoric  pockets 
of  Mayors,  but  from  all  othpr  jackets  reachable,  by  lugubrious 
jeremiads  of  want. 

There  came  on,  also,  during  the  year,  a  great  bridge  contest. 
That  over  the  river  at  Dearborn  street  being  swept  away,  a 
strong  party  arose  opposing  the  erection  of  another,  thinking, 
either  that  those  who  wanted  to  get  from  that  side  of  the 
stream  to  this,  might  crawl  under;  or,  that  people  who  would 
leave  the  “sunny  south”  side  and  banish  themselves  to  those 
hyperborean  regions  lying  to  the  northward  of  the  current  of 
mud,  ought  to  stay  there,  and  no  more  trouble  those  of  so  much- 
better  taste,  and  of  better  fortunes.  So  strong  was  this  utter¬ 
ance  of  the  vox  populi  that  the  matter  was  decided  in  that  com- 


*  The  genuine  scrip  was  printed  in  the  Chicago  American  office,  and  was  an  ex¬ 
ceedingly  poor  job.  Only  a  poor  printer  could  have  executed  the  counterfeit;  the 
type,  vignette — a  ship — and  the  paper  could  be  found  in  any  country  printing-office. 
The  counterfeiter  tried  here  was  the  notorious  Otis  Allen,  of  Buffalo,  N.Y. 


1 6 


BENJAMIN  \\.  RAYMOND. 


won  council  by  the  easting  vote  of  the  Mayor,  and  a  bridge 
obtained  on  Clark  street,  on  condition  that  the  north-siders 
should  subscribe  $3000  of  city  bonds  to  put  it  over.  And  so 
the  benighted  hyperboreans  were  admitted  once  more  to  sun¬ 
light  and  the  society  of  “the  people.” 

The  sale  of  Fort  Dearborn  addition  to  Chicago  took  place 
during  that  year.  Mr.  R.  had  the  first  intimation  of  it  while 
in  New  York,  in  April ;  and  as  he  knew  from  the  history  of 
like  cases,  that  the  people  of  Chicago  expected  the  lands  to  be 
given  to  the  city,  as  had  been  customary,  he  exerted  himself 
for  a  postponement  of  the  sale,  till  the  matter  could  be  brought 
before  Congress — the  sale  being  advertised  by  Mr.  Van  Buren. 
the  President,  to  take  place  in  June.  For  this  purpose  he 
visited  Washington,  and  saw  the  President,  who  put  him  off 
with  the  soft- ambiguities  which  he  knew  so  well  howto  use; 
and  as  soon  as  he  was  gone,  hurried  on  the  sale,  under  the  aver¬ 
ment  that  the  government  was  “in  pressing  need  of  funds.” 
As  the  next  best  thing,  Mr.  IT,  with  a  committee  of  the  council, 
put  in  for  a  public  square,  consisting  of  a  block,  to  be  reserved 
from  sale. 

Their  success  was  better  than  nothing,  inasmuch  as  they  got 
half  what  they  asked  for;  and  Dtarborn  Park  testifies  to-day 
the  result.  He  also  persuaded  the  Agent  of  the  Government  to 
add  60  feet  to  the  width  of  State  Street,  for  a  market. 

As  a  sample  of  celerity  of  travel  in  those  days.  Mr.  R.  started, 
in  the  month  of  March,  1839.  for  New  York.  He  left  on  Tues¬ 
day  morning,  by  stage;  that  is.  in  a  lumber  wagon  with  trunks 
for  seats,  and  after  riding  day  and  night,  with  one  night’s  ex¬ 
ception.  brought  up  at  Tecumseh,  forty  miles  from  Detroit,  at 
three  o'clock  on  the  next  Sunday  morning,  the  last  seven  miles 
being  on  foot,  as  the  lour  horses  were  sufficiently  loaded  by  the 
aforesaid  trunks  and  wagon.  During  one  week  more  of  travel, 
beginning  on  the  following  Monday.  Buffalo  was  gained;  and 
one  week  further  still  brought  them  to  New  York,  making 
three  weeks  in  the  transit.  Eight  years  after  this  voyage  of 
three  weeks.  Mr.  Raymond  was  laughed  at  for  saying,  that  in 
ten  years  more,  he  expected  to  make  the  same  journey  in  three 
days.  Perhaps  the  laughers  are  cachinnating  yet. 

In  1842.  Mr.  Raymond  was  once  more  elected  Mayor  of  Chi¬ 
cago  This  was  about  the  time  of  the  expiration  of  the  long 
depression  which  commenced  in  1837.  City  orders  were  still 
hawking  about  at  70  to  75  cents  on  the  dollar,  for  goods  or 
truck  of  some  sort ;  and  the  people  were  as  poor  as  the  city. 
Real  estate  had  but  little  value,  and  everybody  would  have 
been  rid  of  it  but  that  nobody  else  would  take  it;  and  so  being 
obliged  to  keep  what  they  had,  an  abundance  of  people  were 
made  rich  in  time  in  spite  of  themselves. 

The  city  government  entered  upon  a  rigid  course  of  economy ; 
their  whole  expenditures  for  the  year  municipal.  1842.  were 


BENJAMIN  W.  RAYMOND. 


1 7 


about  $9800,  and  the  receipts  $13,800,  about  $4000  more  than 
the  expenditures,  and  before  the  end  of  the  year,  city  orders 
loomed  up  to  par. 

During  the  year,  the  late  cemetery  grounds  were  selected; 
the  old  burying  grounds  being  among  the  sand  hills  near  Dili’s 
brewery.  Some  forty  acres  of  those  grounds  were  bought,  sur¬ 
veyed,  and  a  public  sale  had.  To  get  means  of  paying  for  the 
forty  acres,  some  $1200  of  city  script  was  pledged  in  a  loan  of 
$600  for  sixty  days !  The  sale  furnished  the  means  to  redeem 
the  script.  This  will,  perhaps,  seem  small  business  at  this  day, 
but  a  great  many  large  things  begin  small. 

During  the  next  year,  1843,  Mr.  R.  endeavored  to  induce 
some  of  his  creditors  to  take  the  lot  on  Clark  street,  north  of 
the  Sherman  House,  and  including  the  old  Post  office,  at  $5- 
000  in  discharge  of  liabilities.  This  idea  was  scouted,  and  the 
property  was  jmssed  over  to  his  partner  as  already  stated.  He 
kept  it  till  it  brought  him  $19,500,  and  it  could  not  be  had 
to-day,  probably,  for  less  than  $60,000. 

When  the  Galena  Railroad  was  started,  Mr.  R.  was  fully 
ready  to  enter  into  it,  with  all  the  means  and  influence  he  could 
command.  As  one  of  its  first  Board  of  Directors  he  pledged 
almost  his  entire  capital,  in  connection  with  other  Directors, 
for  the  purchase  of  the  first  iron  to  build  its  track,  and  in  con¬ 
nection  with  John  B.  Turner,  Esq.,  then  acting  Director,  after¬ 
wards  President,  negotiated  the  sale  of  the  first  issue  of  bonds 
of  the  Road  in  eastern  cities,  which,  at  that  day  (1848),  was 
not  an  easy  matter,  while  Wall  street  was  well  supplied  with 
Illinois  State  Bonds,  interest  unpaid.  The  first  sales  were  only 
made  to  confidential  friends,  who  relied  upon  their  representa¬ 
tions,  as  capitalists  generally  had  no  confidence  in  any  western 
enterprise. 

In  consequence  of  the  success  of  that  enterprise,  and  its  bene¬ 
ficial  effects  upon  the  country  and  city,  he  entered  upon  active 
efforts  to  build  the  road  known  as  the  Fox  River  Valley  Rail¬ 
road,  now  called  Elgin  and  State  Line  Branch  of  the  North- 
Western.  The  construction  of  this  road  was  somewhat  delayed, 
owing  to  the  great  number  of  such  enterprises  on  foot  at  once, 
and  the  failure  of  some  of  the  more  unimportant  ones,  but  it  is 
now  finished,  and  in  operation  from  Elgin  to  Geneva  Lake. 

Mr.  Raymond,  though  in  comfortable  circumstances,  is  not 
one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  the  city;  for  he  has  never  worship¬ 
ped  the  “Golden  Calf.”  His  aim  has  never  been  to  make  the 
most  money.  Hence,  he  has  commonly  sold  out  any  consider¬ 
able  tracts  of  real  estate  in  his  hands,  and  used  the  money  to 
advance  objects  of  public  use  and  benefit.  He  also  gives  largely 
and  freely.  Perhaps  no  man  in  our  midst  more  fully  realizes 
the  pleasure  of  a  deed  of  benevolence  which  costs  something, 
than  he.  No  man  of  his  long  residence  and  various  experi¬ 
ences  with  all  sorts  of  men  in  public  and  private  life,  has  fewer 

2 


i8 


BENJAMIN  W.  RAYMOND. 


enemies,  or  more  fully  commands  the  public  confidence.  The 
trust  in  his  entire  integrity  of  character  is  full  and  universal. 
He  has  only  to  believe  a  thing  right  to  he  induced  to  act  ac¬ 
cordingly,  without  question  or  delay.  He  is  a  man  of  about 
five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  with  light  hair  and  a  blonde  com¬ 
plexion.  His  words  are  few,  in  low  tones,  and  his  demeanor 
quiet;  the  aspect  is  that  of  amiability  and  harmony  of  character. 

He  was  a  Director  of  the  old  Hydraulic  company,  (which  first 
supplied  water  to  the  city,)  from  its  beginning  to  its  close;  is 
now  a  Director  in  the  Gas  &  Coke  Co.,  and  was  for  many  years 
a  Director  of  the  pioneer  railroad  of  the  west,  the  Galena  &  Chi¬ 
cago  Union  Rail  Road. 

He,  as  President,  obtained  the  Charter  for  the  Old  Ladies’ 
Home,  of  Chicago,  and  has  been  connected  with  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  as  President  or  Treasurer,  since  its  organization;  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Old  People’s  Home. 

He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  City  of  Lake  forest; 
obtained  the  Charter  tor  the  Lake  Forest  University,  and  was 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  for  the  first  twelve  years; 
and  still  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees;  also,  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Beloit  College ;  and  Rockford  Female 
Seminary.  In  1864,  he,  as  President,  with  the  aid  of  a  few 
friends,  organized  and  obtained  the  Charter  for  the  Elgin  Na¬ 
tional  Watch  Company,  and  procured  subscriptions  to  the  Stock  ; 
he  is  still  connected  with  the  Company  as  a  Director:  having 
resgned  the  Presidency  in  favor  of  a  younger  and  more  active 
man— T.  M.  Avery,  Esq. 

Elgin  is  most  indebted  to  Mr.  Raymond  for  its  early  and  later 
prominence.  He  made  large  investments  there ;  and  furnished 
the  material  for  many  of  the  most  important  enterprises.  His 
contributions  for  the  establishment  of  their  Academy  were  libe¬ 
ral  ;  he  was  one  of  the  first,  and  for  many  years,  tlieir  leading 
merchant,  having  placed  there,  in  1838,  the  largest  stock  of 
goods  west  of  Chicago.  He  was  a  partner  in  the  foundry  of 
Adams  &  Co.,  the  first  manufacturers  of  corn-shellers  in  the 
West;  he  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  the  establishment  of  the 
woolen  factory  built  by  S.  N.  Dexter,  Esq.,  in  1842 — the  first 
woolen  factory  in  the  State  of  Illinois ;  he  assisted  in  the  erec¬ 
tion  of  a  large  tannery;  and,  lastly,  and  of  greater  importance 
than  all  the  rest,  as  President  of  the  National  Watch  Company. 

Mr.  R.’s  political  views  are  Republican ;  but  he  regards  strict 
moral  character,  integrity,  and  capability  above  party  consider¬ 
ation. 

Mr.  R.  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  second  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  has  held  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder  in  it  since  its 
organization  in  1842. 

His  health  is  pretty  uniformly  good,  and  the  hope  of  his 
friends  is  to  see  him  useful  a  long  while  yet. 


HON.  J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON. 


[From  the  Chicago  Magazine,  March,  1857.] 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  bom  in  Whitfield,  Lincoln 
Co.,  Maine,  in  the  year  1812.  His  father  was  the  Hon.  Eliakim 
Scammon,  of  East  Pittston,  Kennebec  Co.,  Maine,  a  man  widely 
known  and  universally  esteemed,  and  who,  for  many  successive 
years,  represented  his  town  and  county  in  both  branches  of  the 
Legislature  of  that  State. 

Mr.  Scammon’s  mother  was  the  daughter  of  David  Young, 
one  of  the  first  settlers,  and  most  wealthy  men  in  East  Pittston. 
Mr.  Young  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  community  in  which  he 
lived.  As  a  Jeffersonian  Republican,  he  often  represented  his 
town  in  the  General  Court  of  Massachussetts,  Maine  having 
formed  a  part  of  Massachussetts  until  the  year  1820,  when  it  was 
admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  separate  State. 

Mr.  Scammon,  from  childhood,  has  had  a  fondness  for  agri¬ 
cultural  and  horticultural  pursuits.  He  would  have  been  a 
farmer,  were  it  not  that  an  accident  deprived  him,  at  the  age  of 
1 0  years,  of  the  full  use  of  his  left  hand.  Though  this  probably 
changed  his  occupation  in  life,  it  did  not  diminish  his  natural 
love  for  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  or  destroy  his  taste  for  the 
beautiful  and  perfect,  in  all  that  relates  to  this  truly  noble 
occupation.  When  he  resided  at  the  comer  of  Michigan  Ave. 
and  Randolph  Street,  he  had  the  finest  garden  to  be  seen  in  the 
city,  at  that  time;  and  he  now  preserves  his  beautiful  garden. 

Mr.  Scammon  received  his  literary  education  at  the  Maine 
Wesleyan  Seminary,  Lincoln  Academy,  and  Waterville  College. 
He  read  law  in  Hallowell,  in  his  native  State;  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  Kennebec  Co.,  and  immediately  after  started  upon 
a  tour  of  the  States.  He  arrived  at  Chicago,  in  September,  1835, 
upon  a  cold  and  stormy  day.  He  made  the  tlien  somewhat 
more  than  unpleasant  and  haeardous  passage  of  the  lakes,  in  the 
old  steamboat,  Pennsylvania,  which  at  that  early  period  made  a 
trip  from  Buffalo,  by  the  way  of  Green  Bay,  to  Chicago.  On  the 
passage  of  the  steamboat  from  Green  Bay  to  this  city,  a  furious 
storm  arose,  compelling  her  to  put  into  Washington  Harbor, 
near  Death’s  Door,  at  the  north  end  of  Lake  Michigan.  Here 
she  lay  until  the  storm  abated;  provisions  running  out,  and  the 
passengers  being  put  on  a  short  allowance,  in  the  meantime. 
Taking  a  fresh  start  from  Washington  Harbor,  the  storm  again 


20 


J.  YOUNG  SC  AMMON. 


raged  fearfully,  and  there  was  great  apprehension  of  shipwreck 
among  the  passengers  and  crew. 

Arrived  at  Chicago,  the  steamer  was  compelled  to  anchor  out¬ 
side  the  bar,  there  being  no  entrance  to  the  harbor,  except  for 
vessels  of  a  very  small  size.  The  passengers  were  landed  in  a 
boat,  and  made  their  way  from  the  beach  up  to  the  old  Sauga- 
nasli  Hotel,  in  a  driving  rain,  through  the  tall  prairie  grass  and 
deep  mud.  They  found  the  hotel  crowded,  and  a  very  large 
number  of  the  inmates  sick  with  the  bilious  fever,  in  fact,  al¬ 
together,  a  more  dismal  and  dreary  aspect  the  town  could  not 
have  presented.  Coming  from  the  beautiful  hills  of  New  Eng¬ 
land,  and  their  bracing  and  healthy  air,  the  town  appeared  to 
the  new  comer  to  be  almost  a  dismal  swamp;  and  his  first  im¬ 
pression  was  anything  but  favorable  to  a  location  in  it. 

Mr.  Scammon  had  letters  to  Mr.  Henry  Moore,  who  was  then 
an  attorney  in  the  town,  and  dejruty  of  Col.  Richard  J.  Hamil¬ 
ton,  Clerk  of  the  Courts  of  the  County  of  Cook.  In  a  few  days, 
the  weather  cleared  off,  and  almost  as  soon  the  mud  disappeared 
and  there  succeeded  one  of  those  beautiful  Indian  summers  with 
which  the  West  is  so  highly  favored.  Just  as  Mr.  S.  was  about 
to  leave  town,  to  continue  his  journey  southward,  Mr.  Moore 
called  upon  him,  and  stated  that  the  Circuit  Court  had  just 
commenced  its  session ;  that  lus  own  business  prevented  his 
giving  further  assistance  to  Col.  Hamilton,  and  that  the  gentle¬ 
man  that  Col.  Hamilton  had  employed  in  his  place  had  been 
attacked  with  fever.  He  asked  Mr.  S.  if  he  would  not  assist 
Col.  II.  during  the  term  of  Court.  This  was  regarded  by  Mr.  S. 
as  a  fine  opportunity  to  become  acquainted  with  the  mode  of 
practice  and  the  forms  of  legal  proceedings  in  Illinois,  and  was 
at  once  accepted.  He  accordingly  assisted  Col.  H.  through 
the  term ;  who  finding  that  he  was  ready  and  at  home  in  the 
performance  of  the  duties  of  Clerk,  proposed  to  make  him  his 
deputy,  and,  at  the  same  time,  allow  him  to  “hang  out  his 
shine”  in  the  Clerk’s  office. 

In  those  days,  rooms  for  offices  were  not  plenty  in  Chicago, 
and  the  lawyers,  being  mostly  bachelors,  lodged  in  their  offices. 
Mr.  S.  had  endeavored  in  vain  to  find  an  eligible  office,  so  he 
accepted  Col.  H.’s  proposal,  and  established  his  office  in  the 
“North-east  Corner”  of  the  Clerk’s  office,  from  which  it  was 
separated,  not  as  often  in  early  times  in  the  West,  were  the 
places  of  the  Bar,  the  Court,  and 'Jury,  by  chalk  or  coal  lines, 
but  by  an  imaginary  one. 

Col.  II.  then  held  about  every  office  in  Cook  County  which 
he  could  legally  hold.  He  was  Judge  of  Probate,  Clerk  of  the 
Circuit  Court,  Clerk  of  the  County  Commissioners’  Court,  School 
Commissioner,  Recorder  of  Deeds,  Notary  Public,  and  Bank 
Commissioner.  All  these  were  held  in  a  small  Grecian  build¬ 
ing,  erected  on  the  north-east  corner  of  the  Court  House  Square, 


J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON.  21 

which  was  subsequently  lengthened,  and  transformed  into  a 
Court  House. 

Mr.  S.’s  days  were  spent  in  this  room,  in  the  study  of  his  pro¬ 
fession  and  attending  to  the  duties  of  clerk  for  Col.  H.  At 
night,  he  lodged  like  other  young  men,  in  the  same  office.  As 
he  made  acquaintances  his  business  increased,  and  in  183G,  he 
entered  into  a  copartnership  with  Buckner  S.  Morris.  They 
continued  together  for  eighteen  months,  and  did  a  large  and 
successful  business.  They  then  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Scammon 
practiced  alone  for  a  year  or  more,  when  he  formed  a  connection 
with  Norman  B.  Judd,  the  partnership  lasting  until  1847,  when 
Mr.  Scammon  becoming  greatly  interested  in  the  building  of 
the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad,  and  wishing  to  give 
much  of  his  time  to  railroad  matters,  he  and  Mr.  Judd  dissolved 
their  connection,  though  they  continued  to  occupy  the  same 
office. 

When  Mr.  Scammon  came  to  Chicago,  it.  was  a  time  of  almost 
universal  speculation.  Nearly  every  one  was  rich;  at  least  in 
prospect.  He  was  solicited  to  speculate,  but  declined,  on  the 
ground  that  he  liked  his  profession,  and  should  be  happier  in 
practicing  it  than  in  attempting  to  make  a  fortune  by  speculat¬ 
ing.  He  thus  was  enabled  to  devote  his  time  faithfully  and 
unremittingly  to  the  practice  of  his  profession.  His  industry 
and  promptness  in  paying  over  to  his  clients  all  monies  collected 
— somewhat  of  a  virtue  in  the  early  days  of  Western  life — won 
him  the  favor  of  the  community,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  and 
his  practice  soon  became  large  and  commanding.  This  favor, 
obtained  by  faithfulness  and  probity  in  the  discharge  of  his 
business  transactions,  in  the  outset  of  his  professional  career, 
has  been  of  great  benefit  to  him  in  after  life,  and,  no  doubt,  to 
it,  to  a  very  great  extent,'  he  owes  the  credit  which  he  now  en¬ 
joys  in  Chicago,  as  well  as  the  Eastern  cities. 

Indeed,  Mr.  Scammon  has  made  it  a  leading  principle,  in  all 
his  business  transactions,  to  promise  nothing  that  he  could  not 
perform,  and  to  work  with  the  greatest  possible  zeal  and  ardor 
to  secure  the  completion  of  that  which  he  promised.  His  credit 
as  a  banker  he  regards  as  above  every  other  consideration,  both 
of  profit  and  present  standing ;  and  he  would  sacrifice  all  he 
possesses  to  preserve  that  untarnished.  The  business  public  are 
aware  of  this,  and  hence  put  great  confidence  in  any  monied  in¬ 
stitution  with  which  he  is  connected. 

Mr.  Scammon  has  made  great  efforts  to  obtain  a  safe  and  relia¬ 
ble  banking  law  in  this  State,  which  would  be  the  means  of 
preventing  a  recourse  to  the  system  of  what  is  called  “Wild 
Cat  Banking,”  by  which  a  number  of  irresponsible  institutions 
are  got  up  in  neighboring  States  and  Territories,  for  the  purpose 
of  circulating  their  irresponsible  and  irredeemable  paper  here. 
The  law,  as  it  heretofore  stood,  restrained  and  restricted  the 
home  banker,  while  it  gave  free  license  to  the  foreign  institu- 


22 


J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON. 


tions,  which  are  responsible  to  no  one,  and  which,  at  best,  de¬ 
pend  wholly  upon  the  ability,  or  rather  inclination,  of  the 
owners  to  redeem  their  promises.  Mr.  S.  has  endeavored  to 
make  our  banking  system  of  that  character  which  would  invite 
the  capital  of  the  best  business  men  of  this  and  other  States  for 
investment,  at  the  same  time  that  it  would  possess  such  guards 
and  restrictions  as  would  secure  the  public  in  the  most  perfect 
manner.  Mr.  S.  has  worked  long  and  faithfully  to  this  end,  and 
hopes  finally  to  be  able  to  accomplish  an  object  which  has  been 
one  of  the  leading  purposes  of  his  life.  The  feeling  against 
banking  of  all  kinds  which  exists  in  some  portions  of  the  State, 
and  which  has  been  taken  advantage  of  by  the  advocates  of  irre¬ 
sponsible  banking  in  the  northern  part,  has  hitherto  been  the 
great  obstacle  with  which  Mr.  S.  has  had  to  contend;  but  he 
hopes,  in  time,  and  by  the  aid  of  the  growing  intelligence  and 
good  sense  of  the  people,  to  succeed  in  perfecting  such  a  system 
of  banking  as  will  be  a  credit  to  the  State,  and  of  the  utmost 
advantage  to  its  inhabitants. 

In  1837,  without  solicitation  on  his  part,  Mr.  Scammon  was 
selected  as  the  Attorney  of  the  State  Bank  of  Illinois;  and  in 
1839,  he  was  appointed  Reporter  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State,  which  office  he  continued  to  hold  till  1845,  when  he 
resigned,  on  account  of  the  press  of  his  business  at  home.  He 
was  the  first  Reporter  in  this  State  that  ever  published  a  vol¬ 
ume,  and  his  books  introduced  an  entirely  new  era  in  Western 
Reports.  They  were  brought  out  in  a  style  inferior  to  none, 
and  superior  to  most  of  the  reports  in  the  Eastern  States. 

The  writer  might  here  probably  state,  that  Mr.  Scammon 
has  ever  taken  a  lively  interest  in  public  affairs.  While  being 
indefatigably  occupied  with  the  management  of  his  private 
business,  he  has  not  allowed  himself  to  be  wholly  engrossed 
in  the  labors  necessarily  incident  to  men  of  large  and  accumu¬ 
lative  means,  but  has  been,  in  one  way  or  another,  connected 
with  most  of  the  meat  leading  undertakings  associated  with 
the  progress  of  our  state  and  city.  He  has,  in  fact,  been  among 
the  foremost  in  contributing  to  the  development  of  the  re¬ 
sources  of  Illinois,  and  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of 
Chicago  and  the  surrounding  country.  A  New  Churchman  or 
Swedenborgian  in  religion,  which  includes  all  great  measures 
of  useful  and  beneficient  progress  he  is  himself  progressive  in 
sentiment,  and  conservative  in  practice.  His  motto  is,  and 
always  has  been,  at  least  as  long  as  the  writer  of  this  lias 
known  him,  “Conservative  Progress.”  Still  into  whatever  un¬ 
dertaking  he  enters,  he  throws  himself  with  his  whole  soul, 
and  with  all  his  might;  and  whenever  he  undertakes  a  project, 
he  is  indefatigable  and  preserving,  until  it  is  accomplished. 

To  the  Hon.  William  B.  Ogden  and  Mr.  Scammon  are  the 
public  specially  indebted  for  the  commencement  of  the  Galena 
&  Chicago  Railroad.  After  the  railroad  enterprises  which  had 


J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON. 


23 


their  inception  in  1837,  had  failed,  and  were  abandoned,  and 
all  confidence  in  Illinois  was  lost  by  capitalists,  when  hope 
was  nearly  dead  in  the  minds  of  our  people ;  Messrs.  Ogden 
and  Scammon  counselled  together  upon  the  subject;  of  railroads, 
and  the  Galena  Railroad  in  particular.  To  induce  the  Michigan 
Central  Railroad,  which  then  hardly  reached  New  Buffalo,  to 
come  to  Chicago,  and  thus  aid  in  extending  railroad  lines 
farther  West,  Messrs.  O.  and  S.  went  to  Indiana,  and  spent 
much  time  in  getting  hold  of  and  reviving  the  charter  of 
the  Buffalo  and  Mississippi  Railroad,  which  possessed  the  sole 
power  of  building  a  road  from  Michigan  City  to  Illinois  State 
Line,  in  the  direction  of  Chicago.  They  had  previously,  on 
the  opening  of  books  for  the  road,  traveled  over  the  entire 
distance  between  Chicago  and  Galena,  holding  meetings,  mak¬ 
ing  speeches,  and  procuring  subscriptions  to  the  stock  of  the 
Galena  Road.  They  were  themselves  among  the  largest  stock¬ 
holders  in  the  Company,  and  by  their  exertions  and  personal 
pledges  of  fidelity  to  the  interests  of  the  stockholders,  they 
obtained  stock  enough  to  commence  operations  in  the  road; 
and  it  is  not  claiming  too  much  to  say,  that  but  for  them  this 
great  pioneer  road  in  the  West  would  not  have  been  commenced 
till  many  years  later. 

In  the  commencement  of  the  building  of  this  road,  Mr.  Scam- 
mon  devoted  a  large  portion  of  his  time,  gratuitously,  to  the 
project.  He  familiarized  himself  with  the  details  of  the  trans¬ 
actions  of  the  Company,  and  kept  a  strict  watch  upon  its  opera¬ 
tions.  Besides,  to  sustain  the  credit  of  the  Company,  he  bor¬ 
rowed  money  more  than  once  upon  his  individual  name,  and 
loaned  it  to  the  Treasurer,  when  the  road  had  not  sufficient 
credit  to  obtain  an  additional  accommodation  from  its  banker; 
nor  even  the  confidence  of  a  majority  of  its  Directors,  in  their 
ability  to  go  on  with  their  enterprise.  But  the  faith  of  the 
subject  of  our  sketch  was  full  and  unwavering.  Indeed,  so 
great  were  the  difficulties,  and  so  numerous  the  disappointments 
in  the  outset  of  the  operations  of  this  Company,  to  .which  Chi¬ 
cago  is  indebted  for  so  much  of  its  material  prosperity,  that 
at  one  time,  during  the  absence  of  Mr.  Ogden,  all  the  Directors, 
with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Scammon,  the  late  James  H.  Collins, 
Esq.,  and  Charles  Walker,  Esq.,  appeared  discouraged  at  the 
prospect  of  affairs. 

The  labors  and  difficulties  attending  the  early  days  of  the 
history  of  this  enterjarise  can  hardly  be  realized  at  the  present 
time.  The  country  was  poor;  there  was  no  surplus  money  in 
it;  subscriptions  to  the  stock  of  the  Company  could  only  be 
■obtained  in  very  small  quantities ;  of  eighteen  hundred  share¬ 
holders,  the  larger  number  held  single,  or  not  more  than  two  or 
three  shares  each ;  while  all  the  shares  which  were  taken  were 
subscribed  for,  not  with  a  view  to  profit  on  the  stock,  but  solely 
to  aid  in  the  enterprise.  Mr.  S.  was  one  of  the  largest  stock- 


-4 


J,  YOUNG  SCAMMON. 


holders  from  the  commencement  of  the  undertaking,  and  when 
great  efforts  were  requisite  to  keep  up  the  credit  of  the  Com¬ 
pany,  and  to  prevent  its  stock  from  greatly  depreciating,  he  pur¬ 
chased  freely  of  it,  and  was,  by  this  means,  at  one  time  its  largest 
stockholder.  With  a  view,  also,  of  procuring  Eastern  aid,  he 
proceeded  in  company  with  Mr.  Ogden,  to  Boston,  and  had  an 
interview  with  Eastern  capitalists.  There  was  at  that  period 
so  little  confidence  in  the  West  or  Western  enterprises,  that 
they  were  very  cooly  told  by  one  of  the  largest  railroad  pro¬ 
prietors  in  New  England,  that  “ Statistics  amount  to  very  little 
in  influencing  us.  You  must  go  home,  raise  what  money  you 
can,  and  when  you  can  get  no  farther,  come  to  us.  and  give  us 
wbat  you  have  done,  and  we  will  take  hold  of  your  road  and 
complete  it.  You  can  afford  to  do  this,  the  road  will  be  of  such 
immense  advantage  to  your  country."  Mr  8.  determined,  upon 
the  instant,  that  these  prophetic  wishes  should  not  be  fulfilled. 
He  returned  home,  and  by  his  exertions  and  caution  contribued 
not  a  little  to  that  careful  management  of  the  mad,  which  ulti- 
matod  in  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  and  in  establishing,  in 
the  minds  of  capitalist  everywhere,  the  ability  of  Illinois  men 
to  build  and  manage  railroads. 

The  success  of  tne  Galena  and  Chicago  Union  Railroad  is 
the  parent  of  all  subsequent  railroad  movements  in  this  State. 
Had  that  enterprise  failed,  Chicago  would  not  now  count  half 
its  present  population. 

In  the  very  momentous  matter,  to  the  present  and  succeeding 
generations,  of  establishing  the  free  school  system  of  Illinois, 
Mr.  Scammon  bore  a  very  prominent  and  important  part.  There 
was  no  provision  for  absolutely  free  schools  in  Illinois  when 
Mr.  Scammon  removed  to  the  State,  and  for  years  thereafter. 
It  required  a  great  struggle  to  get  through  the  Legislature  a 
special  law  for  Chicago,  authorizing  the  establishment  of 
schools  by  the  Town :  and  the  law  was  only  passed  on  con¬ 
dition  that  it  would  be  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people,  be¬ 
fore  it  became  operative.  When  the  vote  was  taken  in  1S36, 
the  law  was  voted  down.  Its  defeat  at  that  time  was  probably 
caused  by  the  large  number  of  unmarried  men,  the  greater  part 
of  whom  were  speculators  in  real  estate,  who  were  unwilling 
to  have  their  property  taxed  for,  as  they  alleged,  the  benefit 
of  other  people's  children. 

Mr.  Scammon  took  an  active  part  in  getting  up  the  first  char¬ 
ter  of  the  City  of  Chicago.  It  was  partly  through  his  efforts 
that  provision  for  our  present  free  school  system  was  made  in 
it.  The  schools  first  established  under  it  were  not,  however, 
sustained  by  public  opinion.  There  were  few  children  in  the 
town,  most  of  its  population  being  young  people,  and  little 
interest  was  felt  in  the  subject.  The  schools  had  thus  but  a 
sickly  existence,  and  were  of  very  little  value. 

Mr.  Scammon  was  appointed  one  of  tlie  Board  of  School 


J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON. 


25 


Inspectors  in  1839.  The  free  schools  were  then  so  nearly  ex¬ 
tinct,  that  it  was  determined  to  suspend  them,  until  they  could 
be  re-commenced  under  more  favorable  auspices,  and  upon  a 
more  stable  foundation.  Mr.  S.  took  hold  of  the  subject  in 
earnest.  He  drafted  new  Ordinances  and  Laws  for  the  regula¬ 
tion  and  government  of  the  school  system,  which  were  passed; 
and  through  him  and  his  co-laborers  in  the  Board  of  School 
Inspectors,  the  system  of  Common  Schools,  which  has  been  so 
successful,  and  of  such  incalculable  benefit  to  our  City,  was 
established  on  a  broad  and  permanent  basis.  He  remained  in 
the  Board  of  School  Inspectors  till  1845,  when  he  was  elected 
an  Alderman  for  the  First  Ward.  His  election  to  this  office 
was  opposed  by  some  citizens,  who  feared  he  was  in  favor  of 
too  extensive  a  system  in  public  schools.  The  first  school-house 
—  the  brick  edifice  Nos.  81 — 7  Madison  street,  east  of  Dearborn 
street — had  been  built  under  the  direction  of  the  Board  of 
School  Inspectors,  in  1844.  Much  complaint  had  been  made 
by  residents  of  the  North  and  West  Divisions  of  the  City,  at 
the  large  expenditure;  very  many  persons  residing  in  the  South 
Division,  also  denounced  the  cost  of  the  construction  of  such  a 
building  as  extravagant.  Mr.  S.  determined  to  secure  as  large 
a  vote  as  possible,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  public  that  “  big 
school-houses  ”  were  not  unpopular.  The  consequence  was,  he 
received  more  votes,  and  was  elected  by  a  larger  majority,  than 
any  Alderman,  up  to  that  time,  had  ever  received  in  the  City. 

When  the  new  Council  was  inaugurated,  the  Mayor  recom¬ 
mended  that  the  “  big  school-house  ”  should  be  sold,  or  con¬ 
verted  into  an  “Insane  Asylum,”  and  one  more  suitable  to  the 
size  and  wants  of  the  City  be  built.  It  was  supposed  by  the 
Mayor,  that  so  large  a  school-house  would  not  be  required  by 
the  City  for  a  dozen  years.  Mr.  S.  was  appointed  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  Schools,  in  the  new  Council,  and  immedi¬ 
ately  brought  forward  an  ordinance  for  building  a  large  brick 
school-house  on  the  North  side  of  the  river,  stating,  at  the  same 
time,  that  it  was  the  policy  of  the  Board  of  School  Inspectors 
to  build  another,  on  the  West  Side,  the  next  year,  and  to  build 
a  new  school-house  at  least  every  year.  The  order  was  adopted 
by  the  Council,  and  the  school-house  was  built.  The  construc¬ 
tion  of  this  house  was  followed  by  that  of  the  fine  school  build¬ 
ing  on  Madison  street,  on  the  West  Side.  Thus  a  policy  was 
adopted,  which  has  since  been  continued  and  improved  upon 
by  the  successive  Boards  of  School  Inspectors,  until  our  Com¬ 
mon  Schools  have  reached  their  present  proud  position  and 
high  state  of  usefulness. 

In  any  mention  of  the  Common  Schools,  however,  the  name 
of  William  Jones,  Esq.,  should  not  be  omitted.  For  years,  in 
their  days  of  trial,  he  was  one  of  their  most  devoted  and  effi¬ 
cient  friends.  He  seconded  Mr.  Scammon’s  efforts  and  labors 
with  great  energy  and  zeal. 


2  6 


J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON. 


Mr.  Scammon  lias  always  taken  a  warm  and  decided  interest 
in  politics.  He  was  a  Whig  during  the  existence  of  that  party, 
and  for  many  years  chairman  of  its  Congressional,  County,  and 
City  Committees;  and  though  often  solicited,  and  more  than 
once  nominated  for  office,  he  was  never  a  candidate  before  the 
people,  except  on  two  occasions — once  when  elected  Alderman, 
and  in  1848,  when  he  was  the  Whig  candidate  for  Congress  in 
this  District,  which  at  that  time  was  composed  of  seventeen 
counties,  and  overwhelmingly  Democratic.  Mr.  S.  received  a 
very  flattering  vote,  carrying  the  City  of  Chicago  by  a  consider¬ 
able  majority,  although  his  party  in  the  city  must  have  been  in 
a  minority  of  more  than  a  thousand  votes. 

In  politics  Mr.  Scammon  also  exhibited  his  progressive  nro- 
clivities,  having  been  always  on  the  side  of  freedom  and  pro¬ 
gress  in  his  party.  At  the  same  time  he  wras  conservative  in 
his  action,  preferring  present  good,  when  he  could  obtain  it,  to 
sacrificing  everything  to  the  abstract  principles  of  right.  For 
this  reason,  though  his  freesoil  sentiments  dated  back  before 
the  great  contest  between  Clay  and  Polk  in  1844,  he  preferred 
voting  for  Mr.  Clay,  to  throwing  away  his  vote.  In  1848,  also, 
he  advocated  the  election  of  General  Taylor,  knowing  there  was 
no  probability  of  the  election  of  a  freesoil  candidate,  and  doubt¬ 
ing  the  sincerity  of  purpose  of  Mr.  Van  Buren,  who  was  sup¬ 
ported  by  that  party.  In  1852,  he  voted  for  General  Scott,  al¬ 
though  he  preferred  Judge  McLean,  who  was  his  choice  for 
President.  In  the  late  contest,  he  supported  Colonel  Fremont 
with  all  the  ardor  he  was  capable  of,  sparing  neither  his  time 
nor  money  in  the  canvass.  Mr.  S.  has  always  been  inflexibly 
opposed  to  the  extention  of  slavery  into  the  territories,  and  he 
endeavored,  in  every  way  in  his  power,  to  divorce  the  Whig 
Party  of  this  State  from  the  Pro-Slavery  measures  with  which 
a  large  number  of  its  friends  seemed  willing  to  suffer  it  to  be 
embarrassed.  He  contended  that  his  policy  in  this  respect  was 
both  just  and  expedient ;  and  it  is  due  to  him  to  say,  that  if  his 
advice  had  been  carried  out,  the  Whig  Party  in  the  Northern 
portion  of  the  State,  at  least,  and  especially  in  this  city,  would 
not  have  remained  so  long  in  the  hopeless  minority  in  wrhich  he 
found  it  when  he  came  to  reside  here.  Mary  who  afterwards 
claimed  to  be  Seward,  or  freesoil  Whigs,  had  previously  to 
their  sudden  conversion — subsequently  to  the  election  of  Gen. 
Taylor — opposed,  with  all  their  strength,  the  positions  which 
Mr.  S.  took,  and  which  had  they  been  accepted  and  carried  out 
by  the  leaders  of  the  party  generally,  would  have  placed  the 
Whig  Party  in  a  far  better  position  before  the  people  than  it 
had  ever  attained. 

Mr.  Scammon  wras  also  among  the  first  to  perceive  the  tend¬ 
ency  to  the  breaking  up  of  old  party  lines  in  the  country  gener¬ 
ally,  and  particularly  in  this  City  and  State,  preparatory  to  the 
present  fusion  of  all  persons  and  parties  opposed  to  the  spread 


J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON. 


27 


of  slavery.  He  suggested  and  procured  the  writer,  many  years 
ago,  to  furnish  a  series  of  articles  on  the  subject,  to  a  neutral 
paper  then  published  in  this  city.  These  articles,  and  also 
other  measures  taken  by  him,  had  no  small  influence  in  break¬ 
ing  up  party  lines  in  the  Chicago  City  Elections,  and  in  the 
Northern  counties  of  the  State.  Although  a  strict  party  man 
himself,  as  long  as  he  could  see  any  great  good  which  the  old 
Whig  Party  was  capable  of  performing;  still  he  believed  in 
voting  for  the  best  men,  and  in  many  instances  refused  to  vote 
for  unworthy  or  incapable  nominees  of  his  own  party.  It  may 
be  proper  to  state  in  this  connection,  that  Mr.  S.  from  first  to 
last,  has  always  opposed  Native  Americanism  or  Know  Noth- 
idgism,  in  all  its  forms  and  principles.  The  writer  well  remem¬ 
bers  the  indignation  of  Mr.  S.  at  an  article  which  appeared  in  a 
paper  in  1844,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  editors.  He  had  a 
portion  of  the  edition  of  the  paper  which  contained  it  sup¬ 
pressed  immediately;  the  article  gave  great  offense,  however, 
as  it  appeared  in  part  of  the  edition,  and  was  made  a  great 
handle  of  by  the  Democrats  at  that  time  to  the  injury  of  the 
Whigs.  Mr.  S.’s  principles  of  civil  and  religious  polity  are  of 
too  broad  and  comprehensive  a  character  to  accept  for  a  moment 
the  narrow  and  bigoted  platform  of  that  party,  which  of  late 
has  had,  for  a  short  time,  such  a  prominent  position  in  our  Na¬ 
tional  and  State  politics. 

Mr.  Scammon,  in  1849,  re-organized  the  Chicago  Marine  and 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  an  institution  which  had  been  char¬ 
tered  in  1836,  as  a  monied  corporation,  but  which  had  sus¬ 
pended  business,  although  it  never  had  suspended  payment. 
He  was  one  of  the  chief  stockholders  under  the  new  organiza¬ 
tion.  and  the  President  of  the  Company.  It  commenced  with  a 
nominal  capital  of  about  $35,000,  and  an  actual  cash  capital  of 
not  exceeding  $25,000.  Under  his  auspices,  as  President,  the 
institution  has  gradually  increased  its  capital,  and  extended  its 
business,  until  it  has  now  an  actual  cash  capital  of  half  a  mil¬ 
lion  of  dollars,  and  is  the  largest  monied  institution  in  the 
State. 

Mr.  Scammon  likes  to  be  a  pioneer,  judging  from  his  past 
life.  He  was  the  first  Svvedenborgian  in  Northern  Illinois;  the 
first  homoeopath;  and  was  among  the  first  and  most  efficient 
organizers  and  supporters  of  the  Galena  and  Chicago  Union 
Railroad.  He  also  established  the  first  bank  under  the  General 
Banking  Law  of  this  State — the  Marine  Bank  of  Chicago.  He 
organized  the  Chicago  Society  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  when  it 
had  only  three  members,  one  other  beside  himself  and  wife. 
He  also  organized,  in  connection  with  three  other  gentlemen, 
the  Illinois  Association  of  the  same  Church,  when  there  were 
probably  not  over  a  dozen  Sweden borgians  in  the  whole  State. 

Mr.  Scammon  possesses  excellent  business  tact  and  manage¬ 
ment,  which  is  evinced  not  only  in  his  own  prosperity,  in  the 


28 


J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON. 


accumulation  and  investment  of  a  large  private  fortune,  hut  in 
the  success  of  the  many  enterprises  in  which  he  was  one  of  the 
pioneers,  lie  was  one  of  the  original  stockholders  of  the  Ga¬ 
lena;  Chicago,  Burlington,  and  Quincy,  and  several  other  rail¬ 
roads.  Though  never  a  speculator,  Mr.  S.  has  become  wealthy 
by  judicious  and  prudent  business  habits.  He  is  at  the  present 
time  owner  of  large  and  productive  real  estate  in  the  very  cen¬ 
tre  of  the  business  part  of  our  city.  His  policy  has  been  not  to 
speculate,  by  running  in  debt,  but  to  invest  his  surplus  earn¬ 
ings,  and  thus  reap  the  advantage  of  the  steady  rise  of  property 
by  the  growth  of  the  city.  To  this  policy,  together  with  his 
industry  and  economy,  he  owes  his  present  prosperous  position, 
financially  speaking.  Mr.  8.  is  a  great  advocate  for  the  single¬ 
ness  of  employments,  nevertheless,  his  practice  does  not  con¬ 
form  to  his  theory  in  this  respect,  as  he  is  banker,  lawyer,  real 
estate  owner,  and  has  a  large  interest  in  railroads  himself.  It 
has  been  asserted  by  some — perhaps  those  too  envious  of  an¬ 
other’s  prosperity — that  accommodations  from  the  old  Illinois 
State  Bank  contributed  to  Mr.  S.’s  wealth.  This  is  a  mistake; 
he  never  borrowed  a  dollar  from  the  bank,  or  had  any  accommo¬ 
dations  from  it,  or  purchased  a  foot  of  land,  or  other  property 
belonging  to  it,  except  at  public  sale,  in  competition  with 
others.  The  only  favor  the  bank  ever  did  him  was  to  select 
him  as  its  attorney.  He  had  no  other  connection  with  it. 

In  his  profession  Mr.  Scammon  has  stood  deservedly  high, 
and  at  one  time  had  the  most  lucrative  practice  of  any  lawyer  in 
the  city.  In  fact,  he  has  generally  had  more  business  than  he 
could  attend  to,  and  of  late  years,  his  banking  and  other  mat¬ 
ters  have  demanded  so  much  of  his  attention,  that  he  has  for 
the  last  two  or  three  years  given  little  time  to  his  profession. 
In  1849,  he  took  Mr.  Ezra  B.  McCagg,  who  had  been  his  confi¬ 
dential  law  clerk,  for  two  years  previously,  into  partnership, 
and  they  have  since  practiced  together.  He  has  always  been  a 
friend  to  young  men,  and  has  had  a  very  large  number  of  stu¬ 
dents  in  his  oifice.  These  it  has  ever  been  his  habit  to  accus¬ 
tom  to  the  details  of  practice,  thus  grounding  them  well  in  the 
most  important  particulars  in  the  professson.  Thus  he  has  been 
successful,  in  almost  every  instance,  in  making  good,  practical 
lawyers  of  his  students.  The  advantages  of  the  thorough  train¬ 
ing  received  by  students  in  the  office  of  Mr.  S.,  is  fully  indi¬ 
cated  by  the  fact,  that  of  all  the  young  men  who  have  been 
under  his  supervision,  not  more  than  two  nave  failed  to  turn 
out  well. 

Mr.  Scammon,  like  all  men  of  positive  principles,  is  decided 
in  his  opinions,  still  he  is  liberal  and  kind  to  those  who  disa¬ 
gree  with  him.  Indeed,  a  majority  of  the  young  men  in  his 
office,  who  have  received  his  assistance,  countenance,  and  sup¬ 
port,  have  been,  in  political  opinions,  opposite  to  himself. 

Though  Mr.  S.  has  devoted  himself  for  many  years  so  ardu- 


J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON. 


29 


ouslv  to  the  law,  and  also  been  deeply  immersed  in  business,  he 
has  not  forgotten  his  early  love  for  literature  and  fine  arts.  He 
continues  still  to  cultivate  it.  He  writes  on  political  and  relig¬ 
ious  subjects,  gives  public  lectures,  etc.  In  conversation  he  is 
entertaining,  his  information  being  general  and  varied,  and  lus 
desire  to  impart  it,  a  natural  attribute  of  the  man.  He  reads 
and  speaks  several  modern  languages  with  liuency,  and  contin¬ 
ues  his  early  study  of  the  classics,  to  which  he  has  always  been 
drawn  by  his  taste  for  ancient  literature. 

Mr.  S.  is  blessed  with  the  companionship  of  a  congenial  part¬ 
ner,  a  lady  eiery  way  qualified  to  contribute  to  his  happiness, 
and  an  interesting  family  of  children,  the  oldest  grown  to  a  fine- 
looking  young  man,  who  is  receiving  the  benefit  of  as  good  an 
education  as  Ins  father’s  means  and  position  can  afford. 

Mr.  S.  still  continues  to  work  as  Heretofore,  though  less  in 
his  profession.  To  the  question  “  Why  do  you  not  give  up  busi¬ 
ness?”  he  replied,  “I  have  no  right  to  do  so.  Use  is  the  cen¬ 
tral  principle  of  Heaven,  and  no  one  can  be  happy,  except  in 
the  degree  in  which  he  is  occupied  in  some  useful  employ¬ 
ment.” 

The  foregoing  sketch  of  Mr.  Scammon’s  life  was  printed  in 
1857,  in  which  year  he  went  to  Europe  with  his  family,  where 
his  wife  died,  and  her  remains  were  interred  at  Soden,  in  Nas¬ 
sau,  about  ten  miles  from  Frankfort  on  the  Main. 

When  he  returned  in  1860,  the  first  intelligence  that  reached 
him  after  his  arrival  at  his  home,  was  that  the  entire  capital  of 
the  Chicago  Marine  and  Fire  Insurance  Company  had  been 
squandered  by  its  responsible  officers,  during  his  absence. 

He  at  once  resumed  its  management,  and  endeavored  to  ar-  • 
rest  still  further  disasters ;  but  just  then  the  Rebellion  broke 
out,  and  the  Southern  Stocks,  upon  which  the  circulation  of  the 
Illinois  banks  was  based,  becoming  nearly  worthless,  the  whole 
banking  system  of  the  State  went  down.  Mr.  Scammon  worked 
away  resolutely,  dealing  equally  and  fairly  by  all  his  customers, 
and  in  a  short  time  had  paid  off  the  indebtedness  of  the  institu¬ 
tion,  which  had  been  thus  robbed  and  ruined.  He  restored 
capital  and  credit  to  the  company,  and  under  his  management 
his  institution  continued  to  enjoy  the  public  confidence,  and  to 
transact  a  large  business,  until  the  losses  of  the  great  fire  and 
the  panic  of  1873  rendered  it  expedient  to  wind  them  up.  He 
was  always  opposed  to  illegal  and  depreciated  currency  of  the 
“wild-cat”  order.  The  acts  of  the  Legislature,  which  drove 
illegal  currency  from  the  State  were  written  by  him,  and  passed 


30 


J.  YOUNG  SCAMMON. 


through  his  exertions.  As  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  1861, 
he  obtained  further  stringent  legislation  on  the  subject  of  bank¬ 
ing.  At  the  time  of  the  great  fire  he  occupied  an  enviable  posi¬ 
tion.  He  had  won  celebrity  as  a  lawyer,  and  unlimited  credit  in 
business  as  a  banker,  and  had  become  possessed  of  a  vast  fortune. 
But  the  terrible  lire  swept  away  his  banks,  warehouses,  stores, 
and  residence;  fully  half  a  million  dollar’s  worth  of  property. 
Iu  less  than  a  week  he  had  improvised  a  building  on  the  site 
of  his  late  residence  and  resumed  his  banking  business.  He 
was  confident  the  city  would  be  rebuilt,  and  the  old  landmarks 
restored.  Iu  fifteen  months  from  the  time  of  the  fire,  he  had 
expended  over  a  million  dollars  in  rebuilding  stores,  ware¬ 
houses,  etc.  He  not  only  shouldered  this  enormous  work,  but 
he  also  assisted  others  to  a  large  extent  in  their  efforts  to  re¬ 
build.  Just  in  the  midst  of  these  gigantic  undertakings  oc¬ 
curred  the  defection  of  the  Chicago  Tribune  from  the  cause  of 
the  Republican  party,  leaving  that  party  without  a  representa¬ 
tive  morning  paper  in  the  city.  Through  all  his  eventful  pro¬ 
fessional  and  business  career  he  had  never  failed  to  take  a  deep 
and  active  interest  in  national  politics,  and  had  aided  materi¬ 
ally  in  establishing  both  of  the  Republican  newspapers  in  Chi¬ 
cago.  In  view  of  this  defection,  and  the  approaching  Presi¬ 
dential  campaign,  he  decided  to  found  a  first-class  metropolitan 
newspaper,  that  should  be  a  powerful  representative  and  advo¬ 
cate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  accordingly 
constructed  a  building  in  the  rear  of  his  residence,  put  in  the 
necessary  fixtures,  engaged  his  editorial  corps,  and  on  March 
2oth,  1872.  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Inter  Ocean.  This 
paper  proved  a  success,  and  now  has  a  larger  weekly  circulation 
than  any  other  political  paper  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  The 
paper,  outgrowing  its  limited  accommodations,  was  removed  to 
its  present  commodious  quarters,  117  Lake  St.  But  this  enter¬ 
prise  brought  upon  him  the  most  malignant  and  slanderous 
attacks  from  a  rival  press,  which  were  followed  up  with  such 
persistence  and  ferocity,  as  to  injure  both  his  individual  credit, 
and  that  of  the  moneyed  institutions  with  which  he  was  con¬ 
nected.  It  remains  to  be  said  that,  after  the  splendid  success 
of  a  lifetime.  Mr.  Scammon  has  become  seriously  involved,  in 
consequence  of  his  great  losses  by  tires,  his  immense  expendi- 


J.  YOUNG  SCAM  MON. 


31 


ture  in  rebuilding,  and  the  loans  and  assistance  lie  rendered 
others  -who  were  rebuilding.  He  has  suffered  from  four  con¬ 
siderable  conflagrations  within  the  last  four  years ;  and,  what  is 
remarkable,  his  fine  residence  and  surrounding  buildings  have 
been  twice  swept  away ;  first  in  the  great  fire  of  1871,  and  again 
in  the  great  fire  of  .July,  1874,  and  in  both  instances  his  premises 
were  the  last  ones  burned,  while  adjoining  buildings,  that  were 
not  so  well  protected,  escaped  unharmed. 

He  is  now  quietly  engaged  in  the  settlement  of  his  affairs, 
and  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  as  a  lawyer  in  Chicago. 
Mauy  of  the  public  institutions  of  the  city  owe  their  origin  to 
him.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of 
Sciences,  and  of  the  Chicago  Astronomical  Society.  He  was  the 
first  of  the  Swedenborgian  or  New  Churchman  in  Chicago,  and 
one  of  the  original  founders  of  the  Illinois  Association  of  that 
Church.  He  organized  the  Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem  in 
Chicago,  lie  was  the  first  layman  of  prominence  to  favor  the 
practice  of  homoeopathy  in  Chicago,  and  built  and  conveyed 
free  to  the  Hahnemann  Homoeopathic  Society  a  commodious 
hospital.  The  Dearborn  Tower  of  the  edifice  of  the  Chicago 
University,  in  which  is  placed  one  of  the  largest  refracting 
telescopes  in  the  world,  was  built  at  his  expense,  and  the  salary 
of  its  director  paid  by  him  till  the  great  fire  of  1871.  On  his 
return  from  Europe  in  1860,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  trustees 
of  the  University,  anil  has  been  for  many  years  Vice-President 
of  its  Board  of  Trustees,  and  the  acting  President  of  the  same. 

As  a  lawyer,  banker,  and  editor,  he  has  achieved  distinguished 
success,  and  is  a  man  of  large  literary  and  general  culture.  His 
private  character  has  been  one  of  moral  and  religious  worth- 
Mr.  Scammon  is  an  industrious,  energetic  man,  of  robust  consti¬ 
tution,  and  vigorously  employing  the  powers  which  have  in 
times  past  reaped  wealth  for  him;  and  there  is  still  prospect 
before  him  of  years  of  honor,  usefulness,  and  fortune.  He  bears 
on  his  shield  the  words  Confide  in  Domino. 


CHARLES  WALKER,  ESQ. 


[From  the  Chicago  Magazine,  March,  1857.] 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  descendent  of  an  old  and 
wealthy  English  family  of  some  note,  who,  in  Cromwell’s  time, 
were  portioned  upon  the  Tweeds  and  called  by  the  significant 
name  of  Borderers ;  members  of  which  were  among  the  earliest 
adventurers  to  this  country,  for  we  find  mention  made  of  his 
more  immediate  ancestors,  as  settlers  in  the  Eastern  part  of  New 
England,  as  early  as  1640. 

Col.  William  W.  Walker,  the  father  of  Charles,  was  a  native 
of  Massachusetts.  His  father,  who  was  a  noted  cattle  dealer, 
at  an  early  day  moved  his  family  to  Ringe,  New  Hampshire, 
from  which  place  Col.  Walker  emigrated  at  the  age  of  21,  hav> 
ing  little  or  no  capital,  save  his  trusty  axe  and  that  hardy  edu¬ 
cation,  which  ever  characterized  the  early  sons  of  New  England. 
Admiring  the  country  of  Central  New  York,  he  located  in 
Plainfield,  Otsego  County,  then  but  a  wilderness.  Here  he 
became  acquainted  with  a  Miss  Lucretia  Ferrell,  also  a  native  of 
Massachusetts,  whom  he  subsequently  married,  and  with  whom 
he  lived  upwards  of  fifty -five  years.  Though  an  Octogenarian, 
Col.  Walker  is  still  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  all  his  faculties, 
having  in  his  life-time  filled  many  important  political  stations, 
been  prominent  and  active  in  the  church,  ready  to  lend  a  help- 
hand  to  all  worthy  benevolent  objects,  and  at  the  same  time 
secured  to  himself  a  competence  and  the  universal  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

Charles  is  the  oldest  son  of  William  W.  and  Lucretia  Walker, 
and  was  born  February  2,  1802.  The  country  being  new,  as  we 
have  before  stated,  his  educational  advantages  were  necessarily 
very  limited.  To  a  new  log  school-house,  which  a  few  enter¬ 
prising  farmers  had  built,  the  young  lad  was  sent,  at  the  early 
age  of  six  years,  to  gain  those  elementary  lessons,  which  have 
been  turned  to  such  practical  account  through  a  long  life  of 
usefulness.  Inheriting  a  vigorous  constitution,  and  withal  an 
active  and  inquiring  mind,  together  with  uncommon  diligence, 
he  not  only  performed  an  unusual  amount  of  manual  labor  upon 
his  father’s  farm,  but  made  most  rapid  progress  in  his  studies. 
Improving  his  advantages  to  the  utmost  during  three  months  in 
the  year,  he  studied  with  his  teacher  during  the  day,  and  with 
his  parents  during  the  long  winter  evenings.  Though  as  a  boy 


CHARLES  WALKER. 


33 


among  boys  in  these  juvenile  days,  his  vigor  of  mind  and  deci¬ 
sion  of  purpose  was  such,  that  notwithstanding  his  limited  ad¬ 
vantages,  we  find  he  was  qualified  for,  and  entered  upon,  the 
duties  of  teacher  at  the  early  age  of  15  ;  and  from  that  time  for¬ 
ward  continued  in  the  same  vocation  during  the  winter  months 
until  he  attained  his  majority,  with  uncommon  success.  He 
may  well,  we  think,  look  back  upon  that  era  of  his  life,  with 
peculiar  pride  and  pleasure,  as  he  now  recognizes  the  names  of 
many  of  his  old  pupils  among  the  distinguished  men,  of  the 
East  and  West.  While  thus  engaged,  then  18  years  of  age,  he 
commenced  the  study  of  law,  but  soon  found  the  sedentary 
habits  of  that  profession  not  suited  to  his  temperament,  with 
the  advice  of  his  physicians  lie  relinquished  that  idea  and 
turned  his  attention  to  more  active  pursuits;  we  next  hear  of 
him  riding  through  the  country,  during  the  summer  months, 
making  purchases  of  sheep  and  cattle  for  his  lather. 

At  twenty-one,  his  health  being  then  much  impaired,  he  re¬ 
solved  to  enter  the  mercantile  business,  and  to  that  end  hired 
himself  out  to  a  friend  as  clerk  for  a  short  time,  at  the  very 
moderate  salary  of  eight  dollars  per  month.  It  did  not,  how¬ 
ever,  require  a  long  clerkship  for  him  to  become  a  complete 
master  of  that  merchant’s  method  of  doing  business,  and  in  two 
months  he  had  fully  determined  to  start  in  business  for  himself 
the  following  spring. 

In  the  spring  of  1824,  with  $1350  aggregate  capital,  compiled 
of  $350  of  his  own  private  funds,  $500  given  him  by  his  father, 
being  in  fact  his  own  earnings,  and  $500  loaned  of  a  neighbor¬ 
ing  farmer,  he  started  for  the  city  of  New  York,  with  no  letters 
of  credit,  reference,  or  recommendation ;  and  the  following 
May,  opened  his  store  upon  the  economical  plan  of  doing  his 
own  work,  and  soon  after  made  his  first  purchase  of  grain.  The 
next  spring,  when  he  went  East  to  make  li is  purchases,  he  made 
his  first  appearance  at  the  Bull’s  Head  Cattle  Yard,  New  York, 
where  the  Bowery  Theatre  now  stands,  with  a  fine  drove  of  fat 
cattle.  By  close  and  judicious  management  business  prospered 
till  1828.  But  shipping  in  the  fall  of  that  year  a  large  amount 
of  cheese,  butter,  and  pork,  to  a  southern  market,  the  cheese 
became  damaged  at  sea.  and  through  the  mismanagement  of 
agents,  and  the  misapplication  of  funds,  nearly  all  the  accumu¬ 
lated  fruits  of  tour  years  laborious  toil  were  swept  away. 

But  by  attending  personally  to  the  sales  in  New  York,  and 
the  purchases  at  home,  business  nourished  till  ’32,  when  a  sud¬ 
den  decline  in  the  price  of  provisions  occasioned  another  heavy 
loss.  But  from  1833  to ’34,  large  operations  in  all  the  leading 
products,  attended  by  a  steady  and  gradual  rise,  brought  to  a 
successful  termination  all  his  business  operations.  In  the  spring 
of ’33,  being  in  New  Yift'k,  he  accidently  became  a  purchaser 
from  a  cargo  of  raw  hides  from  Buenos  Ayres,  which  he  was 
enabled  to  obtain  upon  favorable  terms;  but  upon  getting  them 

n 

o 


34 


CHARLES  WALKER. 


home,  and  finding  they  were  somewhat  injured  and  could  not 
be  turned  into  the  New  York  market  without  serious  loss,  he 
hit  upon  the  expedient  of  manufacturing  them  into  boots  and 
shoes,  and  disposing  of  them  at  the  fall  Indian  payments  at 
Chicago;  in  the  furtherance  of  which  plan,  his  brother,  Mr.. 
Almond  Walker,  was  in  due  time  sent  on,  who  opened  his  as¬ 
sorted  stock  of  guns,  boots,  shoes,  and  leather,  at  Fort  Dearborn,, 
in  the  autumn  of  1834. 

By  this  adventure  his  attention  was  turned  toward  the  West, 
where  he  soon  saw  and  appreciated  her  undeveloped  resources ; 
and  early  the  ensuing  spring — not  twenty-one  years  ago— he 
was  on  his  way  to  this  city,  with  ready  means,  enlarged  and 
liberal  views,  an  extensive  business  experience  and  acquaint¬ 
ance,  in  the  vigor  of  manhood,  with  a  widespread  and  favor¬ 
able  reputation  at  the  East,  to  unite  his  fortunes  with  the  desti¬ 
nies,  and  contribute  his  energies  to  the  development  of  the 
unknown  resources  of  this  then  lake  shore  village.  Among  his 
first  operations  here  was  the  buying  of  several  lots  of  real  es¬ 
tate,  among  which  was  the  purchase  of  John  S.  Wright,  Esq., 
the  corner  of  Clark  and  South  Water  Streets,  in  connection  with 
Capt.  Bigelow,  of  Boston,  and  Jones,  King  &  Co.,  of  Chicago, 
for  the  sum  of  $15,000,  cash ;  which  was  considered  by  many 
at  that  time,  a  most  visionary  speculation.  Some  days  subse¬ 
quent  to  making  this  purchase,  after  reconnoitering  in  the  coun¬ 
try,  he  publicly  avowed  the  then  bold  opinion  that  Chicago  was 
destined  to  be  the  great  city  of  the  inland  seas,  and  in  test  of 
his  faith  in  this  prediction,  immediately  set  about  making  this 
city  the  principal  point  for  his  future  operations.  In  May,  ’35, 
while  on  his  way  to  Chicago,  being  detained  at  St.  Josephs, 
there  being  no  regular  means  of  conveyance  across  the  lake  at 
that  time,  he  made  several  purchases  of  hides  from  the  flat 
boats  and  butchers’  stalls  for  the  Eastern  market,  to  which  were 
subsequently  added  purchases  made  in  and  about  Chicago;  this 
shipment,  it  is  believed,  is  the  first  ever  made  from  the  State  of 
Illinois  to  any  point  as  far  east  as  Utica  or  Albany. 

The  next  year  he  established  business  in  Chicago  with  the 
late  E.  B.  Hurlburt,  Esq.,  under  the  firm  of  “Walker  &  Co.,’r 
upon  South  Water  street,  for  importing  implements  of  hus¬ 
bandry  and  household  utensils  from  the  East,  together  with  a 
store  of  general  merchandise,  taking  in  exchange  the  various 
products  of  the  West.  During  this  period  he  was  much  of  the 
time  riding  through  the  country,  on  horseback,  as  far  north  as 
Green  Bay,  locating  government  lands  at  the  Four  Lakes  (now 
Madison),  Beloit,  and  other  points  on  the  Rock  and  Milwaukee 
Rivers. 

The  next  year  came  the  terrible  financial  revulsions  of  '37, 
when  ruin  and  desolation  swept  the*  whole  country,  those  who 
sat  in  the  high  places  of  wealth  and  affluence  were  drawn  irre- 
sistably  into  the  maelstrom  of  utter  insolvency.  Banks,  like 


CHARLES  WALKER. 


35 


business  men,  came  down  with  a  crash,  and  the  depreciation  of 
currency  produced  ruinous  confusion  in  the  mediums  of  ex¬ 
change.  But  Mr.  Walker  was  one  of  the  very  few  men,  exten¬ 
sively  engaged  in  business,  who  stood  up  against  the  storm ; 
though  he  had  to  bring  to  bear  his  best  energies  and  most  ex¬ 
pert  financial  skill,  for  maturing  liabilities  pressed  hard  upon 
him,  and  his  name  was  largely  endorsed  upon  the  paper  of 
other  men;  had  not  his  reputation  in  Eastern  commercial  circles 
been  of  the  best  character,  he  would  certainly  have  been 
swamped  with  thousands  of  others.  But  he  found,  in  this 
emergency,  that  the  relation  he  thus  held  as  an  important  com¬ 
mercial  medium  between  the  merchant  and  artisan  of  the  East, 
and  the  pioneer  husbandman  of  the  West,  of  immeasurable  ad¬ 
vantage.  The  extensive  and  favorable  business  reputation  he 
enjoyed  among  the  leading  men  and  Banks  of  the  East,  as  well 
as  the  confidence  of  the  dealers  of  the  West,  enabled  him  to 
greatly  enlarge  his  operations.  To  prevent  the  necessity  of 
purchasing  Eastern  drafts  at  ruinous  rates,  he  adopted  the  plan 
of  purchasing  the  products  of  the  country  with  the  depreciated 
currency  of  the  West,  and  made  his  extensive  shipments  of  pro¬ 
ducts  the  medium  of  exchange  through  which  to  meet  his  East¬ 
ern  liabilities.  Thus  he  was  enabled  to  prevent  the  entire  stag¬ 
nation  of  business  at  home,  preserve  his  reputation  abroad,  and 
in  a  few  years  of  almost  unprecedented  vigilance  and  activity,  to 
entirely  overcome  all  his  embarrassments. 

The  next  year  his  firm  purchased  a  few  bags  of  grain  of  the 
surrounding  farmers,  which  were  sent  to  his  mills  in  Otsego 
County,  New  York;  this  shipment  of  wheat,  we  believe,  was 
the  first  ever  made  from  Chicago  to  so  Eastern  a  market. 

During  this  period,  though  making  Chicago  the  principal 
theatre  of  his  labors,  he  was  yet  a  resident  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  dividing  his  time  nearly  equally  between  this  city,  his 
home  in  Otsego  County;  New'  York  City,  and  traveling  on 
business.  In  ’39,  the  famous  struggle  between  the  old  Safety 
Fund,  and  the  so-called  Bed  Dog,  or  free  banking  system,  was 
at  its  height.  As  a  Representative  from  his  native  county  he 
was  sent  to  the  Legislature.  Carrying  with  him  the  same  com¬ 
prehensive  and  far-seeing  views  as  a  legislator,  that  ever  char¬ 
acterized  him  as  a  business  man,  he  was  intrumental,  in  no  small 
degree,  in  carrying  through,  though  opposed  by  the  grpat  pre¬ 
ponderance  of  the  money  power  of  the  State,  that  deservedly 
popular  system  of  redemption  and  exchange,  which  has  since 
that  time  been  in  effect. 

Each  succeeding  year  his  business  in  Chicago  continued  to 
increase,  so  that  in  1840,  his  shipments  had  so  much  enlarged, 
that  in  the  purchase  of  hides  and  skins  alone,  he  not  only  ex¬ 
hausted  his  supply  of  merchandise,  but  was  obliged  to  bring 
money  from  the  East.  In  1842,  he  established  a  partnership 
with  Cyrus  Clark,  Esq.,  of  Utica,  under  the  firm  of  Walker  & 


CHARLES  WALKER. 


36 

Clark,  for  receiving  Western  produce;  to  bring  himself  nearer 
the  chief  point  of  business,  he  resolved  to  close  out  his  affars  in 
Otsego  County,  and  in  May,  1845,  he  removed  his  family  to  our 
city. 

In  1847,  came  the  great  crisis  in  the  grain  trade  which  car¬ 
ried  down  the  oldest  and  best  houses  in  the  Union.  Though 
not  escaping  without  some  most  terrible  losses  that  would  have 
intimidated  ordinary  men;  with  a  courage  undaunted  by  re¬ 
verses — with  a  nerve  and  will,  equal  to  the  emergency,  his  craft 
was  guided  to  a  safe  anchorage  from  the  fearful  breakers  that 
engulped  his  less  fortunate  competitors;  and  his  tirm  continued 
to  hold  its  position  as  the  leading  grain  and  produce  house  in 
the  West. 

In  1851,  it  was  found  that  C.  "Walker  &  Son  of  Chicago, 
Walker  &  Kellog  of  Peoria,  and  Walker  &  Clark  of  Buffalo, 
were  the  largest  purchasers  of  grain  from  ihe  farmers,  in  the 
United  States.  So  that  the  few  bags  of  grain,  which  in  1839 
were  sent  on  their  eastern  journey  and  the  few  bushels  of  1840, 
had,  in  1851,  grown  to  1,500,000  bushels. 

At  this  period  a  severe  attack  of  that  malignant  disease,  the 
cholera,  destroyed  his  health  and  compelled  him  to  leave  the 
financial  management  of  the  business  to  his  oldest  son,  who  con¬ 
tinued  the  same  under  the  firm  of  C.  'Walker  &  Son  and  C.  Wal¬ 
ker  &  Sons,  till  1855,  when  he  retired  from  the  business  alto¬ 
gether,  leaving  it  to  his  two  sons  and  others,  who  continue  the 
same  under  the  firm  of  Walker,  Bronson  &  Co.,  prosecuting  the 
business  with  all  the  vigor  of  its  founder,  this  firm  have  duiing 
the  past  year,  handled  over  Jive  and  a  quarter  millions  of 
bushels  of  grain,  an  amount,  we  think,  which  will  bear  compar¬ 
ison  with  that  of  any  other  establishment  in  our  own  country  or 
in  Europe.  Mr.  Walker  retires,  we  understand,  the  oldest  grain 
merchant  in  the  Union,  having  steadily  remained  in  one  of  the 
most  liazardons  speculations  in  the  world  over  thirty-one  years. 
Acting  upon  the  principle  that  he  who  can  so  cheapen  and 
make  efficient  the  avenues  of  trade,  as  to  bring  the  productions 
of  the  country  so  much  nearer  a  market,  that  the  farmer  can 
receive  but  one  penny  more  the  bushel  for  his  grain,  brings  mil¬ 
lions  to  his  country," he  feels  amply  repaid  for  the  great  risks 
he  has  run ;  and  whatever  benefit  may  have  accrued  to  himself, 
that  he  has  rendered  an  ample  equivalent  to  those  whom  he  has 
served. 

While  thus  engaged  as  a  pioneer  in  his  own  peculiar  business 
he  has  been  none  the  less  efficient  in  promoting  works  of  public 
utility.  Prominent  in  all  those  great  schemes  which  do  so  much 
towards  developing  the  resources  of  the  country,  he  has  ever 
been  one  of  the  foremost  in  opening  up  and  turning  to  account 
those  great  thoroughfares  which  vein  our  broad  prairies,  and 
wind  their  deep  channels  through  our  hills  and  valleys,  and 
which,  with  every  throb  of  animated  industry,  quicken  into  life 


CHARLES  WALKER. 


3  7 


new  avenues  of  trade,  turning  their  accumulated  wealth  to  swell 
the  commercial  tide  that  has  so  strongly  set  to  the  heart  of  our 
western  metropolis. 

When  the  Galena  Rail  Road  was  recuscitated,  in  1847,  Mr. 
Walker  was  chosen  one  of  its  Directors.  He  entered  into  the 
project  with  all  his  heart.  In  its  gloomiest  days,  his  faith  never 
faltered;  his  confidence  in  the  ability  of  the  country  to  build 
the  road  never  failed.  When  it  was  found  that  more  subscrip¬ 
tions  were  necessary,  he,  as  one  of  a  Committee  for  soliciting 
additional  subscriptions,  traversed  the  country  westward,  and 
as  fixr  north  as  Beloit,  His  courage  never  wavered.  When,  in 
its  darkest  days,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board,  all  confidence  seemed 
to  have  departed  from  a  majority  of  the  Directors,  he,  with  two 
or  three  others,  remained  firm  in  his  confidence  that  the  work 
would  go  through  without  failure.  "A  Committee  of  the  Be¬ 
lieving”  was  appointed  to  take  measures  to  prevent  immediate 
disaster,  composed  of  himself,  J.  Young  Scammon,  Esq  ,  and  one 
other.  Their  measures  were  successful ;  and  when,  on  the  return 
of  its  President,  Mr.  Ogden,  from  New  York,  it  became  neces¬ 
sary  that  the  Directors  should  become  individually  liable  for  a 
large  sum  of  money,  to  secure  the  iron  to  lay  the  first  divison  of 
the  Road;  Mr.  Walker  did  not  hesitate  to  be  among  the  fiist  to 
do  so;  and  to  the  credit  of  the  Board  be  it  said.  that,  all  the 
Chicago  Directors,  but  one,  pledged  their  individual  liability 
for  the  progress  of  the  work.  Mr.  Walker  remained  in  the  Di¬ 
rectory  from  the  first,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  construction 
and  management  of  the  Road. 

In  Feb.,  1856,  the  enterprise  of  pushing  forward,  across  Iowa, 
the  counterpart  of  the  Galena  Railroad,  was  projected;  and  the 
Chicago,  Iowa,  and  Nebraska  Railroad  was  organized,  having  its 
eastern  termination  at  the  young  and  growing  town  of  Clinton, 
on  the  western  bank  of  the  Mississippi.  Of  this  Company  Mr. 
Walker  was  one  of  the  main  directors  and  its  president. 

During  the  summer  of  1856,  he,  in  connection  with  others, 
erected  and  put  in  operation,  at  Beloit,  Wis.,  an  excellent  paper 
mill,  and  a  large  reaper  manufactory;  and  from  a  very  superior 
quality  of  clay,  upon  his  farm  in  Morris,  Ill.,  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  “  Green  Mountain  Ware,”  expecting,  in  time,  to 
supply  Chicago  and  the  Northwest  with  a  quality  of  stoneware 
equal  to  any  in  the  United  States.  He  also  was  largely  engaged 
in  farming  in  the  interior. 

The  conviction,  that  he  who  does  the  most  towards  opening 
up  the  great  channels  of  trade,  so  that  the  poor  man’s  labor 
will  gain  a  level  with  the  rich  man’s  capital,  is  a  practical 
pliilanthrophist,  he  was  in  theory  and  practice  a  thorough  utili¬ 
tarian.  In  private  life,  a  plain  man  and  thoroughly  democratic; 
he  recited  the  incidents  of  his  boyhood  and  early  struggles  with 
a  degree  of  well-earned  satisfaction,  and  none  more  ready,  in 
every  consistant  way,  with  kind  words  or  material  countenance 


38 


CHARLES  WALKER. 


and  aid,  to  cheer  onward  honest  and  persevering  industry.  From 
the  first,  a  faithful  and  influential  member  of  the  church,  and  a 
most  exemplary  man,  we  think  we  do  no  injustice  to  any  other 
citizen  to  say,  that  while  we  are  frank  to  concede  there  are 
others  who  have  added  to  themselves  greater  wealth,  to  none  is 
Chicago  more  indebted  for  her  unexampled  prosperity  than  to 
the  late  Charles  Walker. 

In  closing  this  brief  notice  of  one  so  highly  esteemed,  we  may 
fitly  add  the  words  of  another:  ‘‘In  the  internal  improvements, 
which  have  done  so  much  to  develop  the  exhaustless  resources 
of  the  State,  in  Railroad  enterprises,  which  have  poured  a  flood- 
tide  of  wealth  and  business  into  our  commercial  metropolis  of 
the  Northwest,  in  every  public  work,  whose  intention  and  effect 
was  to  build  up  and  promote  the  healthful  growth  of  the  City, 
he  has  ever  been  in  the  foremost  rank  of  public-spirited  men. 
In  short,  taking  into  consideration  the  varied  incidents  of  his 
active  life,  his  indomitable  perseverance  and  industry,  and  the 
financial  ability  he  has  exhibited,  Mr.  Charles  Walker  has  had 
few  equals  and  no  superiors,  as  a  skilful  business  man  and  a 
good  citizen.” 


THOMAS  CHURCH,  ESQ. 


By  JAMES  TAYLOR,  Ph.  D. 

Author  of  “Moral  and  Social  Manners,”  etc. 


INTRODUCTION. 

There  is  a  laudable  craving  in  the  human  heart,  to  know  the 
history  of  those  who  have  become  distinguished,  whether  such 
■distinction  is  the  result  of  personal  merit,  or  of  the  peculiar  cir¬ 
cumstances  by  which  they  are  surrounded.  It  has  been  said, 
that  “some  are  born  great,  some  have  greatness  thrust  upon 
them but  certain  it  is  that,  however  favorable  circumstances 
may  be,  it  requires  an  inherent  power  to  seize,  at  the  right  mo¬ 
ment,  the  advantages  which  time  and  circumstances  may  offer 
the  enterprising  and  watchful  The  life  of  Thomas  Church  fur¬ 
nishes  interesting  material,  in  connection  with  the  early  settle¬ 
ment  of  Chicago,  and  is  a  very  prominent  example  of  what  may 
be  accomplished  by  a  steady  perseverance  in  an  honorable  course 
•of  industry,  integrity,  and  self-reliance. 

The  name  of  Thomas  Church  will  ever  be  remembered  with 
xespect  and  affection  by  those  who  knew  him  best,  and  were 
•able  to  appreciate  the  many  estimable  qualities  which  so  well 
■fitted  him  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  early  settlement  of  Chi¬ 
cago,  with  the  interests  of  which  he  was  identified  from  the  year 
1834,  to  the  time  of  his  death,  on  the  25th  day  of  June,  1871. 

The  honorable  and  exemplary  life  of  Thomas  Church  well 
deserves  a  record,  which  will  hand  his  name  to  posterity,  and 
keep  green  the  memory  of  his  many  virtues,  his  goodness  of 
heart,  and  noble  aspirations. 

On  the  front  page  of  the  “Family  Bible,”  as  is  customary  in 
rural  homes,  the  record  of  the  Church  family  was  kept,  from 
■which  it  appears,  tha,t  Thomas  Church  was  born,  in  the  Town 
and  County  of  Onondago,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  on  the 
8th  day  of  December,  A.  D.  1800.  His  father  died  while  Thomas 
was  in  his  infancy.  His  mother’s  maiden  name  was  Olive  Raw- 
son,  who  had  been  bereft  of  her  husband,  and  afterwards,  by  a 
second  marriage,  became  the  wife  of  Thomas  Yates,  a  man  of 
moderate  means,  but  industrious,  enterprising,  and  honorable. 
In  the  household  of  his  step-father,  young  Church  was  brought 
up.  Mr.  Yates  was  the  owner  of  a  distillery,  and  the  boy,  Thomas, 
-was  employed  in  such  matters  as  his  strength  would  permit  him 


40 


THOMAS  CIIURCII. 


to  perforin.  It  was  his  business  to  carry,  on  horseback,  the  ineaf 
from  the  mill,  and  to  assist  in  clearing  a  small  farm,  where  they 
raised  wheat  for  the  family  consumption.  They  had  three  cows,, 
and  a  span  of  horses,  with  which,  when  the  roads  were  passable, 
Mr.  Yates  used  to  do  teaming,  from  Albany,  for  the  neighboring^ 
merchants.  The  family  were  in  good  circumstances,  compared 
with  their  neighbors.  They  were  very  temperate,  for  Thomas 
never  new  but  of  one  pint  of  rum  being  sent  for,  and  that  was 
on  account  of  sickness,  except,  on  another  occasion,  when  two 
quarts  of  whisky  were  purchased,  when  they  had  a  '  logging  bee.’ 

When  Thomas  was  twelve  years  old.  the  father  removed  to  the 
town  of  Benton,  Ontario  County.  From  this  time  he  used  to 
assist  his  mother,  and,  at  times,  went  to  school.  He  occasion¬ 
ally  did  little  chores  for  the  neighbors,  for  pay,  and  one  day 
earned  six  and  a  half  cents,  for  gathering  stones  from  a  hay 
meadow.  Small  as  were  these  earnings,  he  had  a  purse  of  his 
own.  and  was  anxious  to  increase  his  store.  When  he  was  four¬ 
teen  years  of  age,  his  parents  removed  to  Bennington,  Genesee 
County,  on  the  border  of  civilization,  and  there  he  practiced  a 
pioneer  life,  helping  to  clear,  with  his  two  younger  brothers  and 
his  father,  as  much  land  as  they  were  able.  Here  were  spent 
five  years,  their  home  a  log  house,  roofed  with  split-staves  and 
bark,  split  and  hewed  logs  for  the  iloor,  and  stakes  set  in  auger- 
holes,  wkh  a  board  on  them  for  seats;  a  broad  chimney,  funnel- 
shaped,  big  end  down,  plastered  within  with  clay  and  straw. 
The  manufacture  of  maple  sugar  formed  a  part  of  their  employ¬ 
ment,  and  very  much  interrupted  the  attendance  at  school. 

And  now  occurred  one  of  those  events  which  illustrate  on 
what  trifles  our  destinies  depend.  A  disagreement  between 
Thomas  and  his  step-father  took  place,  as  to  whether  he  should 
have  the  large  or  the  small  knife  to  cut  basket  wood.  His 
father  told  him,  that  “unless  you  have  everything  your  own 
way,  you  will  not,  do  anything.”  This  charge  was  denied,  and 
he  was  then  told;  “If  he  did  not  like  to  remain  at  home,  he 
could  leave.”  The  young  man  replied:  “ If  I  thought  you  were 
in  earnest,  I  would  jump  the  bars  as  quick  as  you  tike.”  And 
upon  this  he  let  fall  the  axe,  “jumped  the  bars,”  and  left  his 
home.  That  jump — from  home  into  the  world — -was  ever  re¬ 
membered  as  a  mighty  event. 

And  now,  launened  upon  the  world  without  knowing  where 
to  go— without  money — without  friends — with  only  the  clothes 
he  had  on — no  friends  to  aid  or  advise!  His  thoughts  turned  to 
those  who  were  better  off,  who  had  the  advantages  of  education, 
wealth,  parents,  kind  friends  that  would  help  them.  He  envied 
those  who  had  learned  a  profession  or  trade.  He  stood  alone — 
without  help — almost  without  hope!  But  he  had  health  and 
youth,  and  as  the  first  sadness  wore  away,  hope  revived,  he  felt 
stronger,  and  resolved  that,  with  an  honest  purpose,  and  with 
the  help  of  God,  he  would  on  himself  rely;  that  he  would  take- 


THOMAS  CHURCH. 


41 


no  step  backward,  and  lie  hurried  on  to  seek  employment. 
About  three  miles  from  his  home,  he  engaged  to  tend  a  mason 
for  two  weeks,  for  which  he  was  to  receive  twelve  bushels  of 
wheat  and  six  York  shillings  in  money.  The  man  he  had 
worked  for  was  a  miller.  There  came  to  the  mill  a  brother  of 
young  Church,  with  a  grist.  Thomas  told  him  that  he  had 
twelve  bushels  of  wheat,  for  which  he  could  get  only  thirty- 
seven  and  a-half  cents  a  bushel,  but  he  wanted  to  help  pay  the 
clearing,  and  if  his  father  would  send  his  bags,  he  could  have 
the  wheat. 

The  boy  soon  came  back  with  the  bags  and  got  the  wheat; 
but  young  Church  was  afraid  his  father  might  relent;  but  he 
did  not.  The  wheat  was  gone,  and  he  now  had  a  capital  of  six 
York  shillings.  However,  he  agreed  to  work  for  the  same  man, 
Mr.  Owen  Cotton,  for  one  year,  at  ten  dollars  a  month,  the  pay¬ 
ment  to  be  made  as  follow's:  fifteen  dollars  in  cash,  fifteen  dol¬ 
lars  in  orders  on  a  dry -goods  store;  half  the  balance  in  horn 
cattle,  and  the  other  half  in  grain,  at  barter  price,  viz.,  fifty 
cents  a  bushel,  the  market  price  being  thirty-seven  and  a-half 
cents.  In  this  situation  he  learned  to  run  a  linseed  oil  mill,  a 
grist  mill,  and  a  saw  mill;  and,  as  Mr.  Cot1  on  was  often  from 
home,  young  Church  acted  as  clerk,  sold  lumber,  grain,  and  oil, 
and  often  went  with  produce  to  the  neighboring  towns  and 
exchanged  it  for  raw  material.  Thus  he  gained  some  knowledge 
of  trade,  improved  his  education,  and  saw  a  little  of  the  world. 
He  had  now  made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Rachel  'Warmer, 
and  this  inspired  his  ambition.  Times  improved,  money  became 
more  plenty,  and  he  exchanged  his  cattle  and  grain  with  Mr. 
Cotton  for  a  little  farm.  He  worked  another  year,  during  which 
time  he  sold  the  farm  for  cash,  and,  at  the  end  of  his  term,  he 
again  agreed  to  work  for  six  months  for  the  sum  of  sixty 
dollars. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  two  and  a-half  years,  he  had  $227.00 
in  cash,  and  a  new  suit  of  clothes.  Rachel  waited,  and,  in  1823, 
they  were  married. 

With  new  responsibilities,  new  plans  were  laid,  and  often 
thrown  aside;  but,  ultimately,  it  was  concluded  to  buy  a  small 
farm,  and  establish  a  home.  With  this  view,  Mr.  Church  went 
to  Chatauque  county,  selected  and  bought  a  small  piece  of  land, 
built  a  cabin  on  it,  and  then  returned  home  on  foot,  by  the  way 
of  Buffalo.  There  he  was  overtaken  by  a  snow-storm,  and  de¬ 
tained  one  whole  day.  This  delay  was  the  cause  of  a  radical 
change  in  all  his  plans. 

Buffalo  was  then  a  village  of  2500  inhabitants,  and  Mr. 
Church  did  not  know  any  one.  He  had  heard,  however, 
of  an  acquaintance  of  his  cousin,  and  this  man  he  sought 
out.  He  found  him  keeping  a  little  store,  and  as  busy  as  a 
beaver,  notwithstanding  the  bad  weather.  While  sitting  in  the 
store,  the  idea  occurred  to  him,  Why  cannot  I  do  something  of 


42 


THOMAS  CHURCH. 


this  kind?  And  this  thought  occupied  him  during  the  remain¬ 
ing  walk  home  of  thirty  miles.  Of  course,  his  wife  was  con¬ 
sulted.  Her  advice  was — “Go  to  Buffalo — if  your  heart  is  set 
upon  this  enterprise,  it  will  be  successful.”  To  Buffalo  accord¬ 
ingly  they  went,  in  February,  1824,  leased  a  spot  of  ground, 
and  erected  on  it  a  small  store  and  dwelling.  When  a  stock 
of  goods  had  been  laid  in,  their  money  was  exhausted,  and 
customers  were  anxiously  looked  for.  The  first  sale  amounted 
to  three  cents.  A  one  dollar  bill  was  presented,  and  taken, 
and  ninety-seven  cents  in  silver  given  in  exchange.  Woful  to 
relate — the  bill  proved  to  be  on  a  broken  bank!  This  mishap 
was  a  source  of  much  self-reproach,  that  he  should  have  taken  a 
young  wife  to  a  strange  place,  locked  up  all  his  means  in  a 
business  he  knew  nothing  about;  and  here  was  a  pretty  begin¬ 
ning. — He  did  not  tell  his  wife  for  some  time.  A  bank  note 
detector  was  now  purchased,  and  soon  matters  began  10  mend. 
The  venture  proved  successful.  Trade  increased;  and  the  first 
year  Mr.  Church  cleared  $200,  This  was  probably  one  of  the 
pleasantest  years  of  his  life.  It  was  his  first  venture  in  business, 
and  the  first  year  of  his  married  life.  All  things  prospered 
with  him;  and  he  had  good  reason  to  look  forward  to  a  success¬ 
ful  business  career,  and  a  happy  domestic  life. 

They  remained  ten  years,  during  that  time  the  lot  he  had 
■occupied  had  grown  in  value,  from  $150  to  $4000.  In  fact, 
Buffalo  had  become  a  city,  competition  came  in,  and  it  was  this 
■suggested  a  removal  further  west. 

In  the  spring  of  1834,  Mr.  Church  embarked  with  his  effects 
on  board  of  a  small  schooner,  bound  for  Chicago.  Ever  since 
1832,  when  Gen.  Scott’s  army  had  returned  from  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  reports  had  been  circulating  of  the  great  fertility 
of  the  soil  of  Illinois,  and  of  the  advantages  which  Chicago 
would  offer  to  the  adventurous  settler.  Congress,  too,  had 
made  an  appropriation  of  land  to  the  State  for  the  purpose  of 
-constructing  a  canal  from  Chicago  to  the  Illinois  river. 

Far-seeing  men  discerned  in  this  great  enterprise  an  un¬ 
broken  chain  of  water  communication  between  the  Mississippi 
and  the  great  lakes,  a  sure  prognostic  of  the  future  develop¬ 
ment  of  Illinois,  and  a  bright  harbinger  of  the  brilliant  destiny 
in  store  for  her.  Mr.  Church  himself  was  not  insensible  to 
these  great  advantages,  although  he,  in  common  with  the  early 
settlers  of  Chicago,  had  no  idea  of  the  rapidity  of  the  future 
growth  of  the  city.  It  was  supposed,  too,  that  Congress  would 
soon  make  an  appropriation  for  the  improvement  of  the  harbor 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  river. 

The  schooner  on  which  Mr.  Church  had  embarked,  arrived 
at  Chicago  on  the  second  day  of  June,  1834,  and  anchored 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  outside  of  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
.No  vessel  had  as  yet  jiassed  over  the  bar  into  the  river.  The 
passengers  came  ashore  in  boats,  and  landed  their  goods  in  the 


THOMAS  CHURCH. 


43 


same  way.  We  may  mention  here,  that  the  first  vessel  that 
entered  the  Chicago  river  was  the  schooner  Illinois,  Capt.  Pick¬ 
ering.  This  adventurous  officer  succeeded  in  passing  the  bar 
in  safety  in  the  fall  of  1834.  It  was  considered,  as  indeed 
it  was,  quite  a  feat,  and  an  epocli  in  the  history  of  the  State. 
That  night  a  jubilee  was  held  in  the  cabin  of  the  schooner,  at 
which  plenty  of  champagne  was  drunk,  toasts  given,  and 
speeches  made. 

There  were  about  four  hundred  people  in  Chicago  on  Mr. 
Church’s  arrival,  besides  the  garrison  at  Fort  Dearborn,  which 
embraced  200  U.  S.  troops.  The  business  of  the  place  was  all 
done  on  Water  street.  Mr.  Church  endeavored  to  buy  a  lot 
there,  but  was  unsuccessful.  The  land  called  canal  lands  was 
principally  owned  by  the  State.  Individuals  who  owned  lots 
would  not  sell  them.  Individuals  claiming  the  canal  lands  by 
possession,  designated  their  claim  by  having  a  stick  of  timber 
or  an  old  stove  on  it,  and  asked  $500  or  $600  for  their  right 
of  possession.  But  speculation  in  lands  was  not  what  Mr. 
Church  came  to  Chicago  for.  He  desired  to  get  into  business, 
and  wished  at  least  to  own  the  property  on  which  he  lived. 
He  succeeded,  finally,  in  purchasing  two  lots.  Nos.  Ill  and 
113  Lake  street,  for  $250  each,  and  immediately  erected  a 
store  and  dwelling  house  on  the  property,  20  by  40  feet,  and 
two  stories  high.  There  were  few  or  no  regularly  traveled 
streets  in  Chicago  at  that  time.  The  travel  from  the  Fort  to 
the  branching  of  the  river  was  along  the  river  bank  and  on 
some  ridges  that  crossed  ravines  leading  to  the  stream.  Mr. 
Church’s  store  was  the  first  one  built  in  Chicago  fronting  on 
Lake  street.  Mr.  J.  K.  Botsford  had  built  a  store  on  Dearborn 
street  a  little  while  before,  the  end  of  which  reached  to  Lake 
street: — but  at  that  time  there  were  not  enough  houses  built 
to  give  direction  to  Lake  street.  In  building  his  house,  Mr. 
C.’s  greatest  difficulty  was  to  get  assistance  enough.  After  buy¬ 
ing  a  raft  of  timber  in  the  river,  he  had  to  get  it  sawed  by  hand 
into  joists  and  rafters,  in  the  same  manner  that  ship-timber 
is  sawed.  The  frame  being  prepared,  a  derrick  was  rigged, 
and  the  frame  raised  to  its  place  by  a  pair  of  oxen.  His  weather 
boards  were  brought  from  the  Wabash  country,  by  what  were 
called  “  prairie  schooners wagons  drawn  by  five  or  six  yoke  of 
oxen.  This  land  voyage  occupied  several  days,  the  crew  taking 
their  provisions  with  them,  and  camping  out  at  night.  After 
selling  out  their  cargo  and  part  of  their  oxen  at  Chicago,  they 
would  take  on  board  a  return  load  of  salt,  groceries,  or  dry 
goods,  and  ‘set  sail’  for  home  again.  A  great  deal  of  Mr.  Church’s 
early  trading  was  done  with  the  captains  of  these  prairie  schoon¬ 
ers.  They  continued  their  trips  till  the  march  of  civilization 
rendered  them  no  longer  necessary. 

In  the  spring  of  1835,  Mr.  Church  went  to  Buffalo  for  a  stock 
of  goods.  It  took  five  days  to  get  to  Detroit  by  stage.  Send- 


44 


THOMAS  CHURCH. 


ing  his  goods  by  lake,  lie  returned  by  way  of  Detroit  and  Mich¬ 
igan  City.  There  was  no  regular  wagon  road,  and  all  vehicles 
ran  along  on  the  beach  of  the  lake.  It  took  two  days  to  come 
from  Michigan  City  to  Chicago.  There  were  fourteen  passen¬ 
gers  on  this  trip.  A  lady  and  two  gentlemen  rode  on  the  top 
of  a  wagon  loaded  with  baggage.  The  other  eleven  passengers 
walked  on  before.  The  lady  was  Mrs.  John  S.  C.  Hogan,  wife 
of  the  then  postmaster  at  Chicago.  Her  husband,  and  Mr.  JonN 
L.  Wilson,  afterwards  Sheriff  of  Cook  county,  were  also  in  the 
party. 

On  arriving  home,  Mr  Church  found  that  his  goods  had  got 
there  before  him.  During  his  absence,  James  Whitlock,  Esq.. 
Register,  and  Col.  E.  D.  Taylor.  Receiver  of  the  General  Land 
Office,  had  been  negotiating  with  his  wife  for  the  preparation 
of  a  building  for  the  use  of  the  office,  and  she  had  agreed  with 
them  that,  on  his  return,  Mr.  Church  would  fit  up  and  furnish 
two  rooms,  in  the  upper  story  of  his  store,  for  their  purpose. 
He  immediately  hired  the  necessary  assistance  arid  set  about  the 
fulfilment  of  the  contract.  The  rooms  were  finished  by  the 
first  day  of  June,  1835,  and  the  land  sales  of  that  year  immedi¬ 
ately  commenced.  The  attendance  of  buyers  was  very  large 
and  the  bidding  quite  spirited.  The  purchasers  stood  out  on 
Lake  street  in  front  of  the  land-office,  and  the  constant  tramp¬ 
ing  of  such  a  crowd  made  the  place  very  muddy.  To  obviate 
this,  and  to  give  the  public  a  dry  place  to  stand,  Mr.  Church 
caused  a  large  quantity  of  gravel  to  be  brought  from  the  lake 
shore,  and  spread  daily  over  the  street.  1'he  receipts  from  the 
sales  of  land  in  two  weeks  were  over  half  a  million  of  dollars. 
Mr.  Church’s  profits  on  the  goods  sold  at  the  same  time  and 
for  three  weeks  thereafter,  five  weeks  in  all,  was  $800.  The 
next  spring,  Mr.  Church  built  an  addition  to  his  store,  making 
it  one  hundred  and  eighty  by  twenty  feet,  and  replenished  it 
with  a  fresh  stock  of  goods.  In  the  year  1838,  his  retail  sales 
for  cash  amounted  to  over  $41,000.  That  year,  and  the  preced¬ 
ing,  was  a  hard  year  with  merchants  generally.  The  great  com¬ 
mercial  smash  up  of  1837  had  shaken  the  country  to  its  remot¬ 
est  extremities,  and  even  Chicago  felt  its  disastrous  effects. 

There  are  some  very  interesting  incidents  connected  with  Mr. 
Churc  's  early  experience  of  merchandising  in  Chicago.  In 
1837,  he  purchased  at  one  time  seventy -five  tons  of  goods,  the 
freight  on  which,  from  New  York  to  Buffalo  alone,  was  $1100. 
Late  in  the  fall  of  1837,  sugar  was  very  scarce  here,  and  Mr. 
Church  went  to  St.  Louis,  bought  a  large  quantity,  and  had  it 
re  packed  in  barrels.  This  was  necessary,  as  it  had  to  be  trans¬ 
ported  in  wagons  from  Ottawa  here,  ai  d*  the  roads  being  none 
of  the  best,  there  was  some  danger  that  the  teamsters  might 
get  stuck  in  the  sloughs.  In  case  this  accident  should  happen, 
they  could  roll  the  barrels  to  terra,  firma.  This  lot  of  sugar  cost 
eight  and  three  fourth  cents  per  pound  in  St.  Louis,  and  it  sold 


THOMAS  CHURCH. 


45 


here  at  the  rate  of  six  pounds  for  a  dollar.  It  was  customary  to 
buy  everything  by  the  dollar’s  worth.  The  smallest  change  in 
money  was  a  half  dime.  Sixteen  of  these,  or  eight  dimes, 
passed  for  a  dollar. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  a  change  took  place  in  the  business 
of  Chicago.  Instead  of  importing  all  articles  of  necessity,  Chi¬ 
cago  now  began  to  export  provisions.  Chicago  merchants,  too, 
now  began  to  give  credit  to  dealers  in  the  country,  to  buy  their 
produce,  to  borrow  money  on  warehouse  receipts,  and  to  appoint 
foreign  agents  to  do  their  business  for  them.  Mr.  Church, 
however,  did  not  engage  in  this  branch  of  traffic,  but  added  to 
his  other  importations,  paints,  glass,  oils,  iron,  and  domestic  dry 
goods.  In  1840,  lie  moved  his  old  store,  and  built  a  forty  feet 
front,  fire-proof  brick  building  on  Lake  street,  Nos.  Ill  and 
113,  and  moved  his  goods  into  it,  taking  into  partnership  his 
best  clerk,  Mr.  M.  L.  Satterlee,  late  of  the  firm  of  Satterlee, 
Cook  &  Co. 

After  a  successful  business  of  three  years,  Mr.  Church  bought 
out  Mr.  Satterlee,  and  this  partnership  was  dissolved,  in  1843, 
when  Mr.  Church  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  store,  and  in¬ 
vested  his  means,  which  were  now  considerable,  in  the  purchase 
of  real  estate.  In  his  transactions  in  real  estate,  he  was  as  for¬ 
tunate  as  in  his  mercantile  career.  One  of  the  predominant 
traits  in  his  character,  though  not  the  ruling  one,  was  caution. 
He  was  never  disposed  to  embark  in  hazardous  undertakings; 
but  he  has  uniformly  succeeded  in  whatever  he  has  undertaken. 

An  estimate  of  Mr.  Church's  property,  on  retiring  from  mer¬ 
chandising,  showed  a  clear  value  of  $37,000,  and  this  was  the 
result  of  twenty  years’  prudent  enterprise,  during  whioli  time 
he  never  was  embarrassed  to  meet  his  engagement,  and  has 
always  paid  one  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar,  and  never  had  a 
law  suit  which  required  the  argument  of  an  attorney. 

Mr.  Church  now  invested  his  means  in  real  estate,  having 
gained,  by  experience,  a  knowledge  of  the  rapid  rise  in  value; 
and  so  successful  were  his  investments  that,  in  the  year  1856, 
his  interest  and  rents  amounted  to  $10,000;  and,  in  1857,  to 
double  that  amount.  The  property  was  estimated,  January, 
1857,  at  $300,000,  and  his  income  $32,554.50  per  annum.  The 
havoc  of  panics  lias  rendered  these  estimates  subject  to  great 
vicissitudes;  but,  like  the  receding  wave  of  the  flood-tide,  the 
rise  of  the  reflux  exceeds  the  depression,  and  an  advance  is 
maintained. 

The  rise  in  the  value  of  land  in  Chicago,  commenced  at  an 
early  day.  In  1830  or  1831,  twenty  feet  ot  ground  on  Lake  st., 
west  of,  and  adjoining  No.  113,  sold  for  $7.  In  1834,  the  same 
ground  was  sold  for  $250.  In  1836,  it  was  sold  for  $8000,  it 
having  then  a  building  on  it  not  worth  over  $2000.  It  is  now 
worth  or  $1500  per  foot,  the  snug  little  sum  of  $30,000. 

In  June,  1836,  the  great  Canal  sale  commenced,  and  a  large 


46 


THOMAS  CHURCH. 


amount  of  canal  lands  were  sold.  The  terms  were,  a  quarter 
down,  and  the  balance  in  one,  two,  and  three  years,  with  interest 
on  the  deferred  payments  at  six  per  cent,  in  advance.  That 
was  all,  however,  that  was  ever  paid,  as  a  few  years  afterwards 
the  State  compromised  with  the  purchasers,  giving  them  one- 
half  of  the  whole  quantity  of  the  land  for  the  one-quarter  of 
the  price  which  they  had  paid.  In  1838,  the  State  offered  their 
lands  on  twenty  years  time,  ten  per  cent,  of  the  purchase  money 
down,  and  six  per  cent,  interest  for  the  balance.  They  took  in 
payment,  too,  State  Stock,  which  was  then  depreciated  to'such 
an  extent  that  tliirty  dollars  of  it  could  be  bought  for  ten  dol¬ 
lars.  Such  an  opportunity  to  invest  money  profitably  in  lands 
has  never  occurred  since;  but  at  that  time  nobody  wanted  to 
buy,  for  there  was  very  little  money  in  circulation.  In  1839,  at 
the  Fort  Dearborn  sales,  lots  on  Michigan  avenue  were  pur¬ 
chased  at  a  little  over  $1  per  front  foot,  lots  of  48  feet  front 
selling  at  $51.  The  same  lots  are  now  worth  forty  thousand 
dollars.  Since  that  date,  land  has  been  steadily  increasing  in 
value. 

In  the  summer  of  1834,  the  first  Tremont  House  was  built  on 
the  north-west  corner  of  Lake  and  Dearborn  streets.  It  was 
burned  down  in  1839,  that  being  the  first  large  fire  that  had 
ever  happened  in  Chicago.  Mr.  Ira  Couch  immediately  built 
the  second  Tremont  House  on  the  site  of  the  present  edifice, 
and  kept  it  till  it  too,  was  burned  down  in  1849.  In  the  fall 
of  1849,  Mr.  Couch  erected  another  noble  structure.  It  was 
called  by  the  croakers  at  first  “Couch’s  folly  ”  in  derision,  some 
persons  thinking  it  much  too  large  for  a  place  like  Chicago. 
But  immense  as  it  is,  it  has  been  thronged  with  guests,  and  its 
popularity  is  increasing  every  year.  In  1871,  the  Tremont 
House  was  again  ravaged  by  the  flames,  and  is  again  rebuilt  in 
a  style  still  more  magnificent. 

Mr.  Church,  notwithstanding  his  close  attention  to  business, 
his  active  mind  and  benevolent  disposition  has  always  led 
him  to  the  discharge  of  his  duty  as  a  citizen ;  active  in  the  pro¬ 
motion  of  whatever  would  benefit  the  interests  of  Chicago,  he 
felt  a  pride  in  its  rapid  progress.  For  eight  or  nine  years,  Mr. 
Church  was  city  assessor  of  the  south  division,  and  also  Com¬ 
missioner  for  the  opening  of  streets  and  alleys,  for  the  partition 
of  real  estate,  and  in  awarding  widow’s  dower ;  for  the  planking 
and  paving  of  streets,  and  for  appraising  the  damages  and  bene¬ 
fits  arising  from  the  establishment  of  lines  of  wharfage  and 
dockage  on  the  river.  In  the  entire  course  of  his  official  con¬ 
duct,  requiring  the  making  of  maps  of  subdivisions  of  the  city, 
and  placing  the  abstract  titles  on  record,  we  have  not  heard 
of  a  single  mistake,  or  a  single  complaint  of  unfairness  or 
partiality. 

In  1849,  Mr.  Church  was  nominated  for  mayor  of  the  City  of 
Chicago,  by  the  Whig  party,  but  wTas  defeated. 


THOMAS  CHURCH. 


47 


On  the  organization  of  the  Fireman’s  Insurance  Company,  Mr. 
Church  was  elected  president,  and  filled  the  office  with  great 
credit,  commanding  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  brother  di¬ 
rectors.  As  a  token  of  their  respect,  in  1863,  they  presented 
Mr.  Church  with  a  handsome  gold  watch;  value,  $250.  The 
character  of  Mr.  Church  is  too  well  known  to  require  eulogy,  but 
the  object  of  a  biographical  sketch  is  to  hand  down  to  posterity 
the  record  he  has  made  with  his  cotempories. 

In  1854,  when  the  cholera  raged  in  our  midst  with  such 
alarming  fatality — when  the  angel  of  death  held  high  revel 
in  our  streets — when  strong  men  and  little  children  alike 
were  stricken  down  on  every  side  —  when  medical  skill  and 
the  tenderest  care  were  unavailing  to  stay  the  progress  of 
the  plague  or  to  snatch  its  victims  from  its  deadly  grasp — when 
all  business  was  paralyzed  and  when  hundreds  were  fleeing 
from  the  pestilence,  Mr.  Church  remained  at  home,  discharged 
his  usual  duties,  and  ministered  to  the  wants  of  the  sick  around 
him.  He  was  not  alone  in  this.  Many  others  of  our  citizens, 
like  him,  devoted  themselves  to  the  noble  work  of  alleviating 
the  sufferings  they  could  not  prevent. 

Successful  in  his  pecuniary  circumstances,  Mr.  Church  was 
not  less  prosperous  in  his  domestic  relations.  He  was  happy 
in  his  first  marriage,  in  the  possession  of  the  choice  of  his  heart’s 
first  affections;  in  whom  he  found  a  congenial  help  in  his  early 
struggles,  and  a  companion  in  his  early  successes.  To  her  was 
born  five  children,  two  of  whom  survive  and  are  married  to  very- 
estimable  gentlemen  now  living  in  Chicago.  In  April,  1839, 
Mrs.  Church  died,  which  was  the  cause  of  great  affliction  to  her 
liusband  and  family.  His  two  children  were  deprived  of  a 
mother’s  fostering  care,  and  his  happy  home  had  become  deso¬ 
late.  Hired  help  can  not  supply  the  place  of  parental  affection, 
and,  for  a  time,  there  was  sorrow  in  that  dwelling. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  at  the  sick-bed  of  a  neighbor, 
Mr.  Church  accidentally  met  Mrs.  Rebecca  Pruyne;  knowing 
that  she  had  no  other  interest  than  a  neighborly  sympathy,  he 
thought  it  a  manifestation  of  a  kind  heart,  and  btcame  favorably 
impressed.  She  was  a  lady  of  comely  appearance,  respectably 
connected,  was  the  widow  of  the  late  Peter  Pruyne  Mr.  Pruyne 
was  senator  of  this  State,  and  Rebecca  was  daughter  of  S.  W. 
Sherman,  of  this  city.  She  had  one  child.  Mr.  Church  had 
two  children ;  it  was  a  legal  proportion,  she  was  entitled  to  hex' 
thirds.  This  casual  meeting  ripened  into  an  acquaintance,  and, 
ultimately,  into  a  mutual  sympathy  and  attachment,  and,  in. 
November,  1839,  they  were  married.  The  alliance  proved 
mutually  satisfactory,  and,  as  their  pecuniary  circumstances  were 
ample  for  their  moderate  habits,  they  had  only  to  seek  happi¬ 
ness  in  the  rational  enjoyments  suited  to  their  tastes.  Their 
quiet  of  home  life,  they  diversified  by  travel;  they  visited  the 
homes  of  their  early  youth,  and  gratified  themselves  in  again 


THOMAS  CHURCH. 


48 


viewing  the  scenes  with  which  their  affections  and  memories 
were  entwined.  These  travels  were  extended  to  many  places 
of  interest.  Mr.  Church  was,  in  the  meantime,  carrying  on  his 
enterprises  in  real  estate,  building  largely,  and  watching  with 
great  interest  the  progress  of  the  city,  until  June,  1871,  when, 
after  a  short  illness,  lie  died,  fegretted  by  a  large  circle  of 
friends.  Obituary  notices  were  published  in  the  daily  press, 
and  the  directors  of  the  Firemen’s  Insurance  Company  passed 
the  following  resolutions: 

Resolved-^ That  the  news  of  the  death,  on  Sunday  evening, 
of  our  first  and  only  president,  Thomas  Church,  fills  our  hearts 
with  sorrow,  and  is  an  event  greatly  to  be  deplored. 

Resolved — That  his  death  is  not  only  a  loss  to  this  company, 
but  to  the  community  in  which  he  has  so  long  honorably  and 
exemplarily  lived. 

Resolved— That  we  will,  in  a  body,  attend  his  funeral,  and 
that  we  extend  to  his  family  our  sympathies,  and  that  these 
resolutions  be  spread  upon  the  records  of  the  company,  of  which 
he  has  so  long  been  an  honored  and  useful  president. 

Mr.  Church  was  a  large  and  fine  looking  man,  of  plain  and  un¬ 
affected  manners,  and  modest  and  retiring  in  his  deportment. 
We  are  not  informed  whether  or  not  he  was  connected  with  any 
religious  society,  but  from  our  personal  knowledge  of  his  char¬ 
acter,  we  should  pronounce  him  to  be  Christian  at  heart  and  in 
practice,  whether  he  was  so  in  name  or  not.  He  was  one  of  our 
wealthiest  citizens,  but  he  was  esteemed  and  respected  far  more 
for  his  estimable  qualities,  for  his  sound  good  sense,  for  his 
active  usefulness,  and  for  his  quiet  and  unostentatious  benevo¬ 
lence,  than  for  the  adventitious  glare  of  mere  wealth. 

Although  part  of  the  present  sketch  was  in  type  before  it  was 
submitted  to  the  present  editor,  he  has  been  permitted  a  sight 
of  an  autobiography  of  the  late  Thomas  Church,  It  is  replete 
with  very  interesting  matter  bearing  upon  the  history  of  Chi¬ 
cago  during  nearly  forty  years  of  close  observation.  These 
observations  will  form  invaluable  material  in  preparing  a  his¬ 
tory  of  Chicago,  but  are  too  lengthy  to  be  even  glanced  at  in 
this  sketch  we  extract  the  following:  ‘-I  feel  very  grateful  and 
thank  a  divine  Providence  for  the  good  and  kind  husbands  that 
our  daughters  have.  They  are  thrifty,  industrious,  and  good 
providers  for  their  families.  The  eldest,  Geo.  A.  Ingalls,  is  a 
lawyer;  the  second,  Epliram  Ingals,  is  a  doctor;  the  youngest, 
S.  D.  Kimbark,  is  an  iron  merchant.  Neither  of  them  use  pro¬ 
fane  language,  or  tobacco,  and  are  quite  temperate.  1  hey  all 
came  home  last  Thanksgiving-day,  each  brought  their  eldest, 
child,  and  I  believe  the  arrangement  is,  that  on  next  Tlianks- 
giving-day,  our  extension-table  is  to  be  spread  so  as  to  admit 
three  more  little  ones.  I  feel  proud  of  our  boys,  and  have  reason 
to  hope  that  they  will  continue  in  well-doing;  remain  good 
men,  good  husbands,  and  good  fathers!” 


FERGUS' 


CHICAGO  PUBLICATIONS. 


I  . 

ANNALS  OF  CHICAGO:  a  Lect¬ 
ure  delivered  before  the  Chicago  Lyceum,  Jan. 
21,  1840.  liv  Jos i-  i>ii  X.  I! \i  kstikr.  Esq., 
Republished  from  the  original  edition  of  1840, 
with  an  Introduction,  written  by  the  author  in 
1876;  and,  also,  a  Review  of  the  Lecture,  pub¬ 
lished  in  the  Chicago  Tribune  in  1872.  Price, 
25  cents. 

2. 

FERGUS’ DIRECTORYOFTHE 

CITY  OF  CII1CAOO,  1839;  with  City  and 
County  Officers,  Churches,  Public  Buildings, 
Hotels,  etc. ;  also,  list  of  Sheriffs  of  Cook 
County  and  Mayors  of  the  City  since  their  or¬ 
ganization  :  together  w  ith  Poll- List  of  the  First 
City  Election,  (Tuesday.  May  2d.  1837);  and. 
also.  List  of  Purchasers  of  Lots  in  Fort  Dear¬ 
born  Addition,  the  No.  of  the  Lots  and  the 
Prices  Paid  (1S39).  Compiled  by  Roreri 
E'KKl:  fs.  Price,  50  cents. 


3. 

THE  LAST  OF  THE  ILLINOIS, 

AM)  A  SKETCH  OF  THE  POTTAWA- 
bOMlES:  Read  before  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society.  December  13th,  1870;  also, 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  PRAIRIES:  Read  before 
the  Ottawa  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences.  De¬ 
cember  30th,  1869.  by  Hon.  John  Dean 
Caton,  I.L.D.,  late  Chief-Justice  of  Illinois. 
Price.  25  cents. 

4. 

AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 

HIE  FARIA  MOVEMENT  IN  ILLI¬ 
NOIS  FOR  dill-:  LEGALIZATION  OF 
SLAVERY:  Read  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of 
the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  December  5, 
1S64.  Bv  lion.  Wm.  II.  Brown,  E.\- Presi¬ 
dent  of  the  Society.  Price,  25  cents. 


5. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETC) 

OF  SOME  OF  THE  EARLY  si.  Cl 
OF  THE  CITY  OF  CHICAGO.  I 
contains  Sketches  of  Hon.  S.  1  isle  Smitl 
Davis.  Dr.  Philip  Maxwell,  John  J. 
Richard  1..  Wilson.  Col.  Lewis  C.  Ker 
Uriah  P.  Harris,  Henry’  B.  Clarke,  and 
Samuel  J.  I  .owe.  By  Wm.  II.  Btsi 
Price,  25  cents. 

6. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETC1 

OF  SOME  OF  THE  EARLY  SETT 
OF  THE  CITY  OF  CHICAGO.  P 
contains  Sketches  of  Wm.  II.  Brown,  F 
\\ .  Raymond,  Esq.,  J.  Y.  Scammon, 
Chas.  Walker,  Esq. ;  Thomas  Church 
Price,  25  cents. 

7. 

EARLY  CHICAGO:  A  I.ectm 

livered  in  the  Sunday  Course,  at  McCoi 
Hall,  May  7th,  1876.  By  Hon.  John  ' 
worth.  With  portrait.  Price,  35  ccnl 

8. 

EARLY  CHICAGO:  A  Lectiir 

livered  in  the  Sunday  Course,  at  Met  01 
Hall,  April  11,  1S75.  With  additional  1 
never  before  published.  By  lion.  John  \ 
worth.  Price,  35  cents. 

9. 

PRESENT  AND  FUTl 

PROSPECTS  OF  CHICAGO:  An 
delivered  before  the  Chicago  Lyceum,  J: 
1846.  By  Henry  Brown,  Esq.,  Am 

“1  listorv  of  Illinois. " 

RISE  AND  PROGRESS  OF  CHIC 

An  Address  delivered  before  the  CYn 
Library  Association,  March  21.  1876: 
James  A.  Marshai.e,  Esq.  ] 

CHICAGO  IN  1836:  "STRANGE  E 
DAYS.”  By  Marru  r  Martini  \r, 
of  “Society  in  America.”  Price,  25  o< 


Sent  by  Mail  on  receipt  of  price,  by  the  Publishers, 

Fergus  Printing  Co.,  244-8  Illinois  Street,  Chic 


EARLY  CHICAGO 


A  LECTURE, 

DELIVERED  BEFORE 

THE  SUNDAY  LECTURE  SOCIETY, 

a  t  McCormick  hall. 

On  Sunday  Afternoon,  May  7m,  1S76, 


BY 


Hon.  John  IVent  worth, 


I.ATE  EDI  TOR,  PUBLISHER  AND  PROPRIETOR  OF  THE  “CHICAGO 
DEMOCRAT,”  THE  FIRST  CORPORATION  NEWSPAPER; 

MEMBER  OF  CONGRESS  FOR  THE  CHICAGO 
DISTRICT  FOR  TWELVE  YEARS;  TWO  TERMS  MAYOR; 

AND  A  SETTLER  OF  1836. 


CHICAGO: 

FERGUS  PRINTING  COMPANY, 

244-8  ILLINOIS  STREET. 

1  87(5. 


qn.3i 

to 


EARLY  CHICAGO. 


One  year  ago,  I  gave  a  lecture  at  this  place,  as  I  then 
■stated  to  yon,  “with  a  view  of  exciting  among  our  people 
a  spirit  of  historical  research  which  would  result  in  recov¬ 
ering  lost  newspapers  and  documents,  and  placing  upon 
record  the  experiences  of  our  early  settlers.”  I  had  no 
ambition  to  figure  as  a  lecturer,  or  as  a  historian.  I  waited 
until  the  regular  lecture  course  was  finished.  The  pro¬ 
ceeds  were  given  with  pleasure  to  the  Committee  for  the 
employment  of  men  more  at  home  in  the  lecture  field,  as 
the  proceeds  of  this  lecture  will  be, — such  men  as  pass  six 
months  in  preparing  one,  two,  or  three  lectures,  and  pass 
the  next  six  months  in  delivering  them.  As  this  is  their 
sole  means  of  living,  it  is  right  that  they  should  be  well 
paid  for  them;  and  it  is  one  of  the  noble  objects  of  this 
Association  to  furnish  you,  at  an  hour  when  you  have  no 
worldly  pursuits  nor  religious  entertainments,  for  ten  cents, 
what  other  people  on  a  week-day  pay  from  fifty  cents  to 
a  dollar  for. 

I  can  think  of  no  other  object  that  would  have  brought 
me  before  you  with  a  written  lecture.  I  felt  that  the  duty 
peculiarly  devolved  upon  me,  and  I  performed  it  with 
pleasure.  There  are  scarcely  half  a  dozen  persons,  habit¬ 
uated  to  public  speaking,  who  were  here  before  the  city 
Avas  incorporated.  I  was  sole  conductor  of  a  public  press 
for  twenty-five  years  lacking  a  few  months.  It  seemed 
proper  that  I  should  lead  off  in  this  important  matter. 

The  Chicago  Democrat  was  commenced  on  the  26th  of 
November,  1833,  by  the  late  John  Calhoun,  whose  Avidow 
now  resides  in  this  city.  Augustine  D.  Taylor,  now  living 
in  this  city,  saw  the  press  landed;  and  Walter  Kimball, 
noAv  living  in  this  city,  Avas  a  visitor  in  the  office,  and  saw 
the  first  number  printed.  That  paper  fell  into  my  hands 
in  November,  1836,  and  contained  not  only  a  history  of 
current  events,  but  also  a  vast  amount  of  information 
touching  the  early  history  of  the  entire  Northwest.  It  is  a 


4 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


sad  reflection  that  the  same  fire  which  swept  away  my  files, 
also  swept  away  those  of  everyone  else,  and  all  our  public 
records.  But  there  are  copies  of  the  Chicago  Democrat 
scattered  all  over  the  Northwest,  as  well  as  of  other  papers 
and  documents  that  will  be  of  service  in  restoring  our  lost 
history.  No  person  should  destroy  any  papers  or  docu¬ 
ments  of  a  date  prior  to  the  fire.  If  there  is  no  one  who 
wants  them,  let  them  be  sent  to  me,  and  1  will  take  care 
of  them  until  our  Chicago  Historical  Society  becomes 
reorganized.  Our  old  settlers  are  first  passing  away. 
Some  of  the  few  remaining  have  very  retentive  memories, 
l.et  them  not  be  discouraged  because  they  do  not  remem¬ 
ber  dates.  It  is  events  that  we  want;  and  by  comparing 
them  with  other  events,  the  dates  of  which  we  know,  we 
can  in  time  obtain  tire  exact  dates  of  all  of  them.  While 
so  many  of  our  old  settlers  have  passed  away,  there  yet 
may  be  remaining  among  their  effects  old  papers  whose 
value  their  legal  representatives  do  not  appreciate.  Many 
old  packages  have  been  given  to  me,  with  the  remark  that 
they  did  not  see  of  what  use  they  could  be  to  me.  One 
widow  sent  me  some  pieces  of  newspapers,  which  the 
mice  had  kindly  spared,  with  the  remark  that  she  was 
ashamed  to  be  sending  such  old  trash  to  any  one;  but  from 
them  facts  enough  were  gathered  to  save  another  widow 
from  being  swindled  out  of  her  homestead.  When  I  lec¬ 
tured  before,  it  was  a  matter  of  dispute  what  was  the  name 
of  the  first  steamboat  that  ever  came  to  Chicago,  and  who 
was  the  person  in  command.  She  came  to  bring  the 
troops  for  the  Black  Hawk  War  in  1832.  and  brought  the 
cholera  with  them.  All  that  was  known  for  a  certainty 
was  the  place  where  they  dug  the  pit  into  which  they  most 
unceremoniously  plunged  the  dead  bodies.  That  was 
remembered  because  it  was  the  site  of  the  old  American 
Temperance  House,  northwest  corner  of  Lake  street  and 
Wabash  avenue ;  and  many  old  settlers  remembered  that 
from  the  tact  that  they  always  passed  by  the  Temperance 
House  on  the  other  side,  and  so  could  read  the  sign.  The 
river  and  lake  water,  which  we  had  to  drink  in  those  days, 
was  considered  unhealthy.  I  made  a  statement  as  to  the 
name  of  that  boat,  based  upon  what  1  considered  the  best 
authority.  But  when  I  had  finished,  a  gentleman  came 
upon  the  stage  and  gave  me  another  name,  claiming  that 
he  helped  fit  out  the  very  vessel  at  Cleveland,  and  I 
changed  my  manuscript  to  correspond.  But -some  of  the 
reporters  published  the  statement  as  I  delivered  it,  and 


BY  1  ION-.  JOHN  WKNT  WORTH. 


5 


thus  two  statements  were  before  the  public  as  given  by  me. 
'Thus  different  persons,  anxious  to  assist  me  in  reestablish¬ 
ing  the  landmarks  of  history,  had  an  opportunity,  by  quot¬ 
ing  the  one  statement  to  provoke  discussion  by  insisting 
that  the  other  statement  was  true,  when  they  really  did  not 
know  any  more  about  the  matter  than  I  did,  and  had  per¬ 
haps  consulted  only  one  authority,  when  I  had  previously 
•consulted  many.  But  a  lady,  in  looking  over  her  old 
papers,  found,  where  she  least  expected  it,  a  Chicago  Dcm- 
■ocrat  dated  March  14,  1861,  containing  a  letter  from  Capt. 
A.  Walker,  giving  a  history  of  the  whole  expedition,  show¬ 
ing  that  both  statements  were  correct.  The  United  States 
( iovernment  chartered  four  steamers  to  bring  troops  and 
supplies  to  Chicago,  and  their  names  were  the  Superior, 
Henry  Clay,  William  PSnn,  and  Sheldon  Thompson;  but 
the  Superior  and  Henry  Clay  were  sent  back  when  the 
cholera  broke  out  on  board.  Capt.  Walker  says,  that  when 
he  arrived  at  Chicago,  in  July,  1832,  there  were  but  five 
•dwelling-houses  here,  three  of  which  were,  made  of  logs. 
There  are  other  old  newspapers  yet  to  be  found  settling 
•questions  equally  as  interesting.  t 

All  must  admit,  that  there  has  been  more  .said  about  the 
history  of  Chicago,  and  more  important  publications  made, 
the  past  year  than  ever  before.  Booksellers  inform  me 
that  they  have  had  within  the  past  year,  a  greater  demand 
than  in  all  time  before  for  all  works  appertaining  to  the 
history  of  the  Northwest,  and  that  they  have  had,  all  the 
while,  standing  orders  for  such  works  as  are  out  of  print. 
And  it  is  to  encourage  a  still  further  research  that  1  address 
you  to-day.  And,  if  the  result  of  this  year's  researches  is 
not  satisfactory,  I  shall  feel  myself  in  duty  bound  to  ad¬ 
dress  you  again  in  a  year  from  this  time.  Many  ^iged 
settlers  have  thanked  me  for  bringing  them  into  a  higher 
appreciation.  One  octogenarian  lady  informs  me  that, 
for  the  past  fifteen  years,  when  any  young  company  came 
to  the  house,  she  was  expected  to  leave  the  room.  After 
my  lecture,  she  said  she  saw  a  gentleman  approaching  the 
house,  anil  she  left  the  room  as  usual.  But  soon  her 
granddaughter  came  out  anil  said,  “It  is  you  he  wants.” 
And  this  was  the  first  gentleman  caller  she  had  had  for 
fifteen  years.  When  she  entered  the  room,  and  he  told 
her  he  wanted  to  inquire  about  early  Chicago,  she  felt  as 
if  her  youth  had  come  again,  and  she  told  the  others  that 
it  was  their  time  to  leave  the  room.  .She  said,  “He  has 
been  to  see  me  six  times,  and  has  printed  nearly  all  1  said, 


6 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


and  there  is  not  another  member  of  our  large  family  who- 
has  ever  said  a  word  that  was  thought  of  sufficient  impor¬ 
tance  to  be  printed;  and  now  I  am  thinking  over  what  I 
know  about  early  Chicago,  and  letting  the  newspapers  have 
it."  She  observed  with  great  force  that  the  young  folks  were 
constantly  asking  her  how  she  used  to  get  along  amid  early 
privations,  and  she  insisted  that,  if  I  ever  lectured  again,  I 
should  assert  that  the  early  settlers  of  Chicago  were  the 
happiest  people  in  the  world,  as  I  believe  they  were.  But 
a  strict  regard  for  the  real  historical  purposes  of  this  lec¬ 
ture  will  permit  me  to  allude  only  incidentally  to  our  early 
sources  of  entertainment. 

We  are  apt  to  speak  of  Chicago  as  a  new  city.  But  it  is 
not  so,  compared  with  the  great  mass  of  other  cities  in  the 
United  States.  Take  out  Detroit,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis, 
and  New  Orleans,  and  what  is  there  older,  in  the  date  of 
its  incorporation,  in  the  West,  extending  to  the  Pacific  ? 
But  when  our  city  was  organized  we  had  no  Pacific  posses¬ 
sions,  save  Oregon  Territory,  which  we  then  owned  in  com¬ 
mon  with  Great  Britain.  The  future  historian  of  America 
will  not,  however,  take  yito  consideration  the  date  of  our 
incorporation.  The  ancient  Romans  were  in  the  habit  of 
dating  events  from  the  foundation  of  their  city.  But  “  Urbs 
condita’'  or  “  Chicago  condita’’  will  never  be  a  reckoning 
point  in  our  city's  history.  Even  in  this  assembly,  there  are 
not  as  many  who  know  in  what  year  our  city  was  incor¬ 
porated  as  in  one  of  our  public  schools  there  are  children 
who  can  spell  Melchisedec,  notwithstanding  modern  politic¬ 
ians  have  kicked  from  the  public  schools  the  Book  that 
contained  the  eighth  commandment. 

From  Washington’s  inauguration,  in  1789,  to  Chicago’s 
first  ^layor  s  inauguration,  in  1837,  we  have  but  forty-eight 
years,  a  period  of  time  that  the  future  historian  of  America, 
when  speaking  of  Chicago,  will  not  notice.  But  a  resident 
of  Chicago  was  not  elected  to  Congress  until  1843,  and 
yet  he  became  associated  not  only  with  men  prominent 
under  every  Administration  of  the  United  States  Govern¬ 
ment,  and  many  of  them  born  before  the  inauguration  of 
Washington,  but  with  some  born  even  before  the  Declara¬ 
tion  of  Independence,  and  two,  at  least,  before  the  tea  was 
thrown  overboard  in  Boston  harbor.  John  Quincy  Adams 
was  born  in  1767,  and  he  was  accustomed  to  tell  us  that 
among  his  earliest  recollections  was  that  of  hearing  the  re¬ 
port  of  the  guns  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  -  Benjamin 
Tappan,  Senator  from  Ohio,  was  born  in  1773.  Then  there 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


7 


was  Henry  Clay,  Secretary  of  State  while  John  Quincy 
Adams  was  President,  United  States  Senator  as  early  as 
1S06,  Speaker  of  the  House  in  1811,  born  in  1777,  nine 
months  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  one 
who  could  collect  a  larger  crowd  and  disperse  it  quicker 
and  in  better  humor  than  any  ether  man  who  ever  lived  in 
America.  1  shall  never  forget  my  last  interview  with 
Henry  Clay,  and  its  description  is  appropriate  to  the  his¬ 
tory  of  Chicago.  Our  harbor  was  suffering  for  appropria¬ 
tions.  President  Polk  had  vetoed  them  all.  A  change  of 
dynasties  had  been  effected.  Millard  Fillmore  was  the 
acting  President,  and  he  was  a  warm  friend  of  our  harbor. 
It  was  in  the  spring  of  1851.  The  Harbor  bill  had  passed 
the  House,  and  was  sent  to  the  Senate  at  a  late  day,  and 
the  controlling  spirits  had  managed  to  keep  it  back  until  a 
still  later  day.  The  Southern  Senators,  under  the  lead  of 
Jefferson  Davis,  spoke  against  time,  declaring  the  bill 
unconstitutional.  Clay  did  all  that  man  could  do  for  us, 
but  in  vain.  Our  bill  was  talked  to  death.  Clay  came  on 
with  us  to  New  York  City,  to  take  a  steamer  for  New 
Orleans.  As  the  vessel  was  about  to  sail,  we  went  on 
board  to  take  our  leave  of  him,  and  we  all  expressed  a  hope 
that  the  next  time  he  returned  home  he  would  go  around 
by  the  lakes.  He  replied,  “  1  never  go  where  the  Consti¬ 
tution  does  not  go.  Hence  I  must  travel  by  salt  water. 
Make  your  lakes  Constitutional.  Keep  up  the  war  until 
your  lake  harbors  get  their  deserved  appropriations,  and 
then  I  will  come  out  and  see  you.”  We  finally  got  the 
Constitution  out  here,  but  not  until  after  Henry  Clay  had 
paid  the  debt  of  nature. 

Then  there  was  John  C.  Calhoun,  Vice-President  while 
John  Quincy  Adams  was  President  in  1825  ;  a  member  of 
Congress  in  1811  ;  Secretary  of  War  when  the  reconstruc¬ 
tion  of  our  fort  was  completed  in  1817  ;  born  in  1782,  the 
year  before  Great  Britain  acknowledged  our  independence. 
He  said  his  name  came  once  very  nearly  being  associated 
with  Chicago,  as  the  new  fort  had  been  completed  while  he 
was  Secretary  of  War,  and  it  was  suggested  that  it  be  called 
Fort  Calhoun.  But  he  did  not  think  it  right  to  change  the 
old  name  which  had  been  given  in  honor  of  Gen.  Henry 
Dearborn,  who  was  Secretary  of  War  when  the  first  fort 
was  built,  in  1804.  Official  documents  tell  us  that,  in 
1803,  Capt.  John  Whistler,  then  a  Lieutenant  at  Detroit, 
was  ordered  here  to  build  the  fort,  that  his  troops  came  by 
land,  and  that  he,  with  his  family  and  his  supplies,  came 


8 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


round  by  the  lakes  in  the  United  States  schooner  Tracy, 
with  Dorr  for  Master.  t  This  probably  was  the  first  sail- 
vessel  that  ever  came  to  Chicago.  I  can  think  of  no  busi¬ 
ness  that  could  have  brought  one  here  before.  This  Capt. 
John  Whistler  was  father  of  Col.  William  Whistler,  who 
died  in  1863,  and  was  so  favorably  known  by  our  early 
settlers,  and  who  was  father-in-law  of  the  late  Robert  A. 
Kinzie,  of  this  city. 

Besides,  there  was  Judge  William  W’ilkins,  of  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  born  in  1779  j  Daniel  W’ebster,  of  Massachusetts, 
born  in  1782;  John  J.  Crittenden,  of  Kentucky,  born  in 
1786;  and  Judge  Levi  Woodbury,  of  New  Hampshire, 
born  in  1789. 

Then  there  were  three  men  whose  names  are  identified 
with  the  history  of  the  West.  There  was  Lewis  Cass,  born 
in  1782,  appointed,  in  1813,  Governor  of  the  Northwestern 
Territory,  then  embracing  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Iowa, 
Minnesota,  and  all  west.  And  William  W’oodbridge,  born 
in  1780,  appointed  in  1-814,  Secretary  of  the  same  Territory. 
These  gentlemen  where  walking  histories  of  the  Northwest. 
Then  there  was  Thomas  H.  Benton,  born  in  1782,  Senator 
when  Missouri  was  admitted  in  1821,  who  made  his  first 
trips  to  Washington  on  horseback.  Add  his  knowledge  to 
that  of  Messrs.  W’oodbridge  and  Cass,  and  we  have  a  com¬ 
plete  history  of  the  entire  W  est.  Many  now  before  me 
will  remember  the  patriotic  lecture  he  delivered  here  in  the 
spring  of  1857,  upon  the  approaching  crisis  to  this  country, 
about  a  year  before  his  death,  probably  the  last  lecture  ot 
his  life.  ”  Nor  should  I  fail  to  mention  Gen.  Henry  Dodge, 
the  Anthony  Wayne  of  his  period,  born  also  in  1782,  one 
of  the  first  Senators  from  Wisconsin. 

A  single  member  of  Congress,  and  the  first  one  elected 
from  Chicago,  was  associated  in  Congress  with  two  mem¬ 
bers  who  served  in  President  Monroe’s  Cabinet,  one  in 
President  J.  Q.  Adams’,  three  in  President  Jackson's,  one 
in  President  Van  Buren's,  five  in  President  Harrison  s.  four 
in  President  Tyler's,  four  in  President  Polk  s,  four  in  Presi¬ 
dent  Taylor’s,  seven  in  President  Fillmore’s,  four  in  Presi¬ 
dent  Pierce  s,  five  in  President  Buchanan  s,  and  six  in 
President  Lincoln’s ;  embracing  a  period  of  American 
official  history  from  1817;  and  some  of  these  men  were 
born  before  the  tea  was  thrown  overboard  in  Boston 
harbor. 

For  some  years  after  Chicago  elected  her  first  member 
of  Congress,  the  widow  of  President  Madison  gave  recep- 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


9 


tions  at  Washington,  and  on  the  first  of  January  her  guests 
were  shown  apartments  where  were  suspended  dresses 
which  she  had  worn  upon  all  great  occasions,  including  the 
receptions  of  Presidents  Washington,  Adams,  Jefferson,  and 
her  husband.  James  Madison  was  not  only  a  member  of 
the  Continental  Congress,  but  also  a  member  of  the  first 
Congress  under  the  Constitution,  and  so  continued  during 
the  terms  of  Washington’s  Presidency;  and  was  Secretary 
of  State  under  Mr.  Jefferson’s  Administration.  So  this 
lady  had  had  ample  opportunity  to  know  the  customs  of 
every  preceding  period  of  our  Governmental  history.  Now, 
if  her  heirs  bring  out  these  dresses  for  the  Centennial  (she 
had  no  children),  the  public  will  be  astonished  at  their 
remarkably  small  number,  she  not  having  had,  in  over  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  what  the  wife  of  the  average  office¬ 
holder  of  these  days  will  have  in  a  single  year. 

Then  there  was  the  widow  of  Gen.  Alexander  Hamilton, 
the  confidant  of  Gen.  Washington  in  the  Revolution,  and 
his  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  who  was  killed  in  a  duel  by 
Aaron  Burr.  She  was  born  in  1757,  and  died  at  Washing¬ 
ton  in  1854.  She  was  soliciting  Congress  to  aid  her  in 
publishing  her  husband’s  works.  She  could  tell  all  about 
her  father,  Gen.  Philip  Schuyler,  of  the  American  Revolu¬ 
tion  ;  the  personal  appearance  of  Gen.  Washington  and  his 
lady  ;  and  of  almost  all  other  public  persons  of  the  Revolu¬ 
tionary  period.  In  fact,  when  you  sent  your  first  member 
of  Congress  to  Washington,  all  society  was  redolent  with 
scenes  of  the  Revolutionary  period ;  and  here  in  our  midst 
were  several  Revolutionary  soldiers ;  and  one,  Father 
David  Keniston,  who  claimed  to  have  been  one  of  the 
party  who  threw  the  tea  overboard  in  Boston  Harbor. 

You  will  excuse  me  for  digressing  from  the  direct  pur¬ 
pose  of  this  lecture  if  I  here  state  to  you,  that  since  I  com¬ 
menced  writing  it,  I  have  received  a  letter  from  an  old 
colleague  in  Congress,  who  was  born  the  same  year  Great 
Britain  acknowledged  our  independence,  1783, — as  it  will 
probably  be  the  last  opportunity  that  many  of  you  will  ever 
have  of  hearing  a  letter  read  from  a  man  now  living  who  is 
older  than  our  Government;  I  allude  to  the  Hon.  Artemas 
Hale,  of  Bridgewater,  Mass.  He  is  the  oldest  ex-member 
of  Congress  now  living,  in  his  93d  year.  Do  you  want  to 
hear  what  the  veteran  says  ? 

My  health,  considering  my  age,  is  quite  good.  But  my  time  for 
taking  any  active  part  in  public  matters  is  past.  Still,  however,  I  feel 
a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  our  beloved  country, 


to  REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 

and  am  pained  to  hear  of  the  corruption  and  frauds  of  so  many  of 
our  public  men.  It  appears  to  me  that  it  is  of  the  highest  importance 
that  our  circulating  medium  should  have  a  fixed  and  permanent  value, 
which  it  cannot  have  but  by  a  specie  basis.  I  should  be  very  much 
pleased  to  receive  a  letter  from  you,  with  your  views  of  public  matters. 

I  answered  his  letter  in  one  word,  “Amen  1” 

Thus  you  will  see  that  our  history  laps  so  closely  upon 
the  Revolutionary  period  that  there  is  no  precise  point  at 
which  we  can  say  that  Chicago  began,  unless  it  be  in  1832, 
when  the  marching  of  the  troops  of  Gen.  Scott  to  Rock 
Island,  on  the  Mississippi,  called  attention  to  the  fertility  of 
the  soil  and  the  beautiful  locations  west  of  us.  We  often 
hear  of  different  men  who  have  done  much  for  Chicago,  by 
their  writings,  their  speeches,  or  their  enterprise.  But  1 
have  never  heard  of  a  man  who  has  done  more  for  Chi¬ 
cago  than  Chicago  has  done  for  him.  God  made  Lake 
Michigan  and  the  country  to  the  west  of  it;  and,  when 
we  come  to  estimate  who  have  done  the  most  for  Chicago, 
the  glory  belongs  first  to  the  enterprising  farmers  who  raised 
a  surplus  of  produce  and  sent  it  here  for  shipment;  and 
second,  to  the  hardy  sailors  who  braved  the  storms  of  our 
harborless  lakes  to  carry  it  to  market.  All  other  classes 
were  the  incidents,  and  not  the  necessities,  of  our  embryo 
city.  Chicago  is  but  the  index  of  the  prosperity  of  our 
agricultural  classes.  And  to  this  day  we  hear  Chicago 
mercantile  failures  attributed  to  the  inability  of  farmers  to 
get  their  produce  fo  market,  when  the  .roads  are  in  a  bad 
condition.  If  we  pass  by  the  impetus  given  to  the  agri¬ 
cultural  development  of  the  country  west  of  Chicago  by 
the  Black  Hawk  War  of  1832,  we  must  admit  that  we  are 
passing  into  the  bi-centennial  period.  What  did  Chicago 
know  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  Revolution¬ 
ary  War,  the  Peace  of  1783,  or  the  inauguration  of  Wash¬ 
ington,  until  years  afterwards?  It  is  probable  that  Capt. 
Whistler,  when  he  came  here  to  build  the  fort  of  1804, 
brought  to  Chicago  the  first  information  on  these  subjects, 
and  probably  had  to  employ  an  interpreter  to  explain  it. 
It  was  probably  his  Chaplain  that  made  the  first  prayer  for 
the  President  of  the  United  States  and  all  in  authority; 
and  his  vessel  that  first  floated'  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on 
Lake  Michigan.  But  there  were  prayers  here  200  years 
ago,  and  a  flag  that  did  not  denote  our  national  indepen¬ 
dence,  but  French  territorial  aggrandizement. 

I  have  used  my  best  efforts  to  find  the  earliest  recog¬ 
nition  of  Chicago  by  any  official  authority.  Charlevoix 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH.  I  I 

and  other  French  writers  make  mention  of  the  place,  but 
1  cannot  find  that  the  French  Government  in  any  way 
recognized  it.  After  the  Canadas  were  ceded  to  Great 
Britain,  the  whole  Illinois  country  was  placed  under  the 
local  administration  of  Canada  by  a  bill  which  passed  the 
British  Parliament  in  1766,  known  as  the  “Quebec  Bill;” 
but  there  is  nothing  to  prove  that  the  Canadian  Govern¬ 
ment  took  any  official  notice  of  this  place.  It  may  be 
interesting  to  know  what  was  religious  liberty  in  those 
days.  At  the  period  of  the  change  of  Government  from 
the  French,  under  the  treaty  of  Paris,  in  1763,  Thomas 
Gage  was  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  British  King’s  troops 
in  North  America;  and  in  1764,  he  issued  a  proclamation 
.  authorizing  the  Roman  Catholics  of  Illinois  to  exercise  the 
worship  of  their  religion  in  the  same  manner  as  they  did 
in  Canada,  and  to  go  wherever  they  pleased,  even  to  New 
Orleans. 

In  October,  1778,  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia 
created  the  County  of  Illinois,  appointed  John  Todd,  of 
Kentucky,  Civil  Commander,  and  authorized  all  the  civil 
officers  to  which  the  inhabitants  had  been  accustomed,  to 
be  chosen  by  a  majority  of  the  citizens  of  their  respective 
districts.  From  this  we  should  infer  that  there  were  then 
settlements  somewhere  in  the  State.  But  I  can  find  nothing 
of  Chicago  while  we  belonged  to  Virginia.  The  late  Wm. 
H.  Brown,  of  this  city,  in  a  lecture  before  our  Historical 
Society,  in  1865,  said:  “The  French  inhabitants  of  Kas- 
kaskia,  in  1818,  the  year  in  which  I  made. my  residence 
there,  claimed  that  that  village  was  founded  in  1707.  There 
were  evidences  at  that  time  (the  remains  of  former  edifices, 
among  them  the  J esuit  College)  that  their  chronology  was 
substantially  correct.” 

In  1788,  Gen.  Arthur  St.Clair  became  Governor  of  the 
entire  Northwestern  Territory,  and  was  the  first  man  to 
fill  that  position.  The  seat  of  government  for  Chicago 
people  was  then  at  Marietta,  O.  In  1790  he  came  to 
Kaskaskia  (some  writers  say  Cahokia)  and  organized  what 
is  now  the  entire  State  of  Illinois  into  a  county,  which 
he  named  for  himself.  Besides  this  there  were  but  two 
counties  in  the  whole  Northwestern  Territory — the  County 
of  Knox,  embracing  Indiana,  and  the  County  of  Hamilton, 
embracing  Ohio.  But  there  is  nothing  to  show  that  Chicago 
at  that  time  was  known  to  the  civil  authorities.  Besides 
consulting  all  the  early  writers  upon  the  subject,  I  have 
corresponded  with  all  the  men  in  the  country  who  I  thought 


12 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


would  know  anything  concerning  it.  And  I  cannot  find 
anyone  who  has  any  authority  for  stating  that  there  was  any 
official  recognition  of  Chicago  until  Gen.  Wayne’s  Treaty, 
made  at  Greenville  in  1795,  in  which  he  acquired  title  from 
the  Indians  to  a  tract  of  land,  six  miles  square,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Chicago  River,  where  a  fort  formerly  stood.  Green¬ 
ville  is  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Ohio,  in  Dark  County, 
upon  the  Indiana  State  line.  There  is  nothing  to  show 
that,  at  that  time,  Gen.  Wayne  came*  any  farther  west,  not 
even  as  far  as  Fort  Wayne,  although  he  appears  to  have 
had  the  same  knowledge  of  the  importance  of  the  position 
of  Fort  Wayne  as  he  did  of  that  of  Chicago.  Why  the 
fort  at  this  place,  referred  to,  was  built  here,  and  who  built 
it,  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain.  As  the  French  and 
Indians  were  always  allies,  there  is  no  reason  why  the 
French  should  have  built  such  a  fort.  It  may  be  that  it 
was  built  by  one  of  the  tribes  of  Indians  to  defend  the 
place  from  some  other  tribe.  But  offsetting  tradition 
against  Gen.  Wayne’s  official  recognition  of  a  fort  here,  it 
may  be  that  there  was  a  mere  trading  and  store-house,  sur¬ 
rounded  by  pickets.  The  prevailing  impression  is  that 
such  was  the  character  of  all  those  places  called  forts  prior 
to  the  abdication  of  the  French  authority.  Col.  Gurdon  S. 
Hubbard,  our  oldest  living  settler,  who  was  here  in  1818, 
favors  this  idea,  and  has  reminded  me  of  an  almost  for¬ 
gotten,  but  at  one  time  extensively  received,  tradition,  that 
this  old  fort,  or  palisaded  trading-post,  was  on  the  West 
Side,  upon  the  North  Branch,  near  where  Indiana  street 
now  crosses  it;  and  it  was  erected,  or  at  least  was  at  one 
time  occupied,  by  a  Frenchman  named  Garie,  and  hence 
the  tradition  that  our  North  Branch  river  was  one  called 
“Garie's  River.” 

There  was  a  powerful  chief  of  the  Illinois  named  Chi- 
cagou,  who  went  to  France  in  the  year  1725.  The  Hon. 
Sidney  Breese,  who  settled  at  Kaskaskia  in  1818,  who  was 
in  the  United  States  Senate  six  years  during  my  service  in 
Congress,  and  who  still  honors  our  Supreme  Court,  is  the 
best  informed  man  in  Illinois  history  now  living.  He 
writes  me: 

I  know  of  no  authorized  recognition  of  Chicago  as  a  place  on  this 
globe,  anterior  to  Wayne’s  treaty.  1  have  a  copy  of  a  map,  which  I 
made  from  one  in  the  Congressional  Library,  which  I  found  among 
the  papers  of  President  Jefferson,  made  in  1685;  in  which  is  a  place 
on  the  lake  shore,  about  where  your  city  is,  marked  “Chicagou; 
and  Father  Louis  Vivier,  who  was  a  priest  at  Kaskaskia  in  1 75 2 ’  'n  a 
letter  to  his  Superior,  says:  “Chikagou  was  a  celebrated  Indian  chief. 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


13 


who  went  to  Paris,  and  the  Duchess  of  Orleans,  at  Versailles,  gave 
him  a  splendid  snuff-box,  which  he  was  proud  to  exhibit,  on  his 
return,  to  his  brother  redskins.” 

Some  have  contended  that  our  city  was  named  from  him. 
But  Charlevoix,  in  his  History  of  New  France,  gives  us 
that  name  as  early  as  1671,  in  which  year,  he  says,  a 
French  voyageur,  named  Nicholas  Perrot,  went  to  Chicago, 
at  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  where  the  Mi  am  is  then 
were.  This  was  before  Father  James  Marquette  came  here. 

The  treaty  of  Greenville,  at  the  time  considered  of  no 
other  importance  than  as  settling  our  difficulties  with  the 
Indians,  afterwards  became  a  matter  of  very  serious  impor¬ 
tance  in  the  settlement  of  our  difficulties  with  Great  Britain, 
while  the  treaty  of  Ghent  was  being  negotiated,  1814.  When 
the  Commissioners  met,  the  Americans  were  surprised  by 
the  British  Commissioners  demanding  the  recognition  of 
that  treaty  as  the  basis  of  negotiations  as  to  the  western 
boundary  of  the  United  States.  The  British  at  first  refused 
to  negotiate  except  upon  the  basis  of  that  treaty,  and  in¬ 
sisted  upon  the  entire  sovereignty  and  independence  of  the 
Indian  Confederacy.  They  claimed  the  Indians  as  their 
allies,  and  considered  themselves  bound  to  protect  them  in 
their  treaty.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Indians  had, 
for  a  long  time,  received  annuities  from  the  French  Govern¬ 
ment,  and  that  these  annuities  were  continued  by  Great 
Britain  after  the  treaty  of  cession  in  1763;  and  that,  after 
our  independence  was  acknowledged  by  Great  Britain,  the 
Indians  annually  sent  delegations  to  Canada  to  receive 
these  annuities.  During  the  pendency  of  these  negotia¬ 
tions,  it  was  ascertained  that  there  had  been  an  alliance, 
offensive  and  defensive,  between  the  celebrated  Chief 
Tecumseh  and  the  British  authorities.  After  discussing 
the  matter,  and  finding  the  Americans  peremptorily  refus¬ 
ing  to  acknowledge  the  sovereignty  of  the  Indians,  the 
British  Commissioners  proposed  that  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  should  exercise  a  joint  protectorate  over  the- 
Indians,  and  consider  all  the  territory  not  acknowledged 
to  belong  to  the  United  States  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville 
a  embraced  within  that  protectorate.  This  would  have 
left  the  six  miles  square  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River 
in  a  permanently  Indian  country.  The  West  would  have 
been  situated  similarly  to  Oregon,  which  was  so  long  held 
under  the  joint  occupation  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States;  and  the  final  result  of  the  joint  occupation  would 
have  been  the  same  as  in  Oregon,  a  division  of  the  territory ; 


14 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


a  part  of  it,  perhaps  including  Chicago,  being  attached,  in 
the  end,  to  the  Canadian  provinces.  The  British  Commis¬ 
sioners  were  so  pertinacious  on  this  subject  that  it  was 
thought  at  one  time  that  negotiations  would  have  to  be 
given  up.  And  when  the  British  Commissioners  finally 
yielded,  the  British  Government  received  the  bitter  curses 
of  the  Indians. 

Billy  Caldwell,  better  known  in  Chicago  as  Sauganash, 
who  lived  here  several  years  after  I  came  here,  and  was 
well  known  to  me  personally,  had  been  the  intimate  friend 
of  Tecumseh,  and  declared  that  if  Tecumseh  had  been  liv¬ 
ing  he  would  have  aroused  all  the  Indians  in  the  Northwest 
in  a  general  warfare  upon  the  Canadian  settlements,  in 
retaliation  for  what  he  considered  the  treachery  at  Ghent. 
Caldwell,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  insisted  that  Tecumseh, 
not  long  before  he  was  killed,  predicted  that  the  British  in 
time  would  abandon  them,  and  seriously  meditated,  during 
the  war  of  1812,  upon  going  over  to  the  Americans  with  all 
his  forces.  Caldwell  was  the  son  of  an  Irish  Colonel  in  the 
British  army,  stationed  upon  the  Detroit  frontier,  whose 
name  he  bore.  His  mother  was  Tecumseh’s  own  sister. 
He  ultimately  went  to  his  tribe  at  the  Pottawatomie  Reser¬ 
vation  in  Shawnee  County,  Kan.,  and  died  there. 

When  the  Illinois  territory  was  a  part  of  Indiana,  our 
seat  of  government  was  at  Vincennes.  When  it  was  set  off 
from  Indiana,  in  1809,  the  whole  territory  was  organized 
into  two  counties,  St.  Clair  and  Randolph.  Judge  Breese, 
whose  home  was  in  Kaskaskia  in  1818,  informs  me  that  his 
home  was  never  in  the  same  county  with  Chicago,  being  in 
the  southern  County  of  Randolph. 

From  St.  Clair  County,  what  is  now  Cook  County,  was 
set  off  in  the  new  County  of  Madison;  thence  in  the  new 
County  of  Crawford;  in  1819,  in  the  new  County  of  Clark: 
and  so  little  was  then  known  of  the  northern  country,  that 
the  act  creating  Clark  County  extended  it  to  the  Canada 
line.  In  1821,  we  were  set  off  in  the  new  County  of  Pike  ; 
in  1823,  in  the  new  County  of  Fulton;  and  in  1825,  in  the 
new  County  of  Peoria.  I  have  not  only  caused  the  County 
records  of  these  counties  to  be  examined,  but  have  also 
corresponded  with  their  earliest  settlers,  and  I  can  find 
no  official  recognition  of  Chicago  until  we  reach  Fulton 
County.  The  Clerk  of  that  County  writes  me,  that  the 
earliest  mention  of  Chicago  in  the  records  is  the  order  of 
an  election  at  the  term  of  the  Fulton  County  Commis¬ 
sioners’  Court,  Sept.  2,  1823,  to  choose  one  Major  and 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


15 


company  officers,  polls  at  Chicago  to  be  opened  at  the  house 
of  John  Kinzie.  The  returns  of  this  election  cannot  be 
found,  if  they  were  ever  made.  As  the  county  was  organ¬ 
ized  in  1823,  this,  of  course,  was  the  first  election  under 
the  organization  of  the  county.  The  same  Court  ordered, 
April  27,  1824,  that  the  Sheriff,  Abner  Eads,  be  released 
from  paying  the  money  tax  collected  at  Chicago  by  Rous- 
ser.  In  those  days  the  Sheriffs  were  ex-officio  collectors  of 
taxes.  The  name  indicates  that  our  Tax-Collector  was 
then  a  Frenchman,  or  a  mixed-breed  French  and  Indian. 
It  seems  that  they  had  defaulters  in  those  days,  as  well  as 
now.  It  would  be  a  gratifying  historical  fact  if  we  could 
know  how  much  this  man  Rousser  collected,  as  showing 
the  financial  resources  of  our  population  at  that  time,  when 
all  the  real  estate  belonged  to  the  General  Government. 
The  numerous  followers  of  this  man  Rousser  have  shown 
their  ingratitude  to  the  founder  of  their  sect  by  their  failure 
to  .erect  any  monument  to  his  memory,  or  to  name  after 
him  a  street,  a  school -house,  or  a  fire-engine  house. 
These  Rousserites  are  getting  to  be  a  numerous  body  of 
men,  and  their  motto  is,  “Keep  what  you  collect.”  One 
election  and  one  steal  are  all  that  the  records  of  Fulton 
County  show  for  Chicago  ! 

The  Clerk  of  Peoria  County  writes  me,  that  his  earliest 
records  commence  March  8,  1825.  From  these  records 
I  learn  that  John  Kinzie  was  commissioned  Justice  of  the 
Peace  July  28,  1825.  He  was  the  first  Justice  of  the 
Peace  resident  at  Chicago.  Alexander  Wolcott,  his  son-in- 
law,  and  John  B.  Beaubien,  were  commissioned  Sept.  10, 
of  the  same  year. 

I  have  also  the  assessment-roll  of  John  L.  Bogardus, 
assessor  of  Peoria  County,  for  the  year  1825,  dated  July 
25,  which  is  as  follows: 


Tax-Payers’  Names.  Valuation.  Tax. 

1  Beaubien,  John  B . ....$1000  $10.00 

2  Clybourne,  Jonas,  .  625  6.25 

3  Clark,  John  K .  250  2.50 

4  Crafts,  John, .  5000  50.00 

5  Clermont,  Jeremy,  .  .  . .  i .  100  1.00 

6  Coutra,  Louis,  . .  50  .50 

7  Kinzie,  John,  .  500  5.00 

8  Laframboise,  Claude, .  100  x.oo 

9  Laframboise,  Joseph, .  50  .50 

10  McKee,  David,  . 100  1.00 

11  Piche,  Peter,  .  100  1.00 

12  Robinson,  Alexander,  . 200  2.00 

13  Wolcott,  Alexander,  .  572  5.72 

14  Wilemet  [Ouilmette],  Antoine, .  400  4.00 


i6 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


The  entire  valuation,  land  then  being  not  taxable,  of  all 
the  property  in  Chicago  was  $9,047,  and  the  rate  was  one 
per  cent.  But  the  property  of  the  American  Fur  Company 
was  assessed  to  John  Crafts,  its  agent,  at  $5,000.  He  was 
a  bachelor,  and  died  the  next  year,  and  Mr.  Kinzie  was 
appointed  in  his  place.  Deducting  the  American  Fur  Co.’s 
assessment,  we  have  only  $4,047  as  the  personal  property 
of  Chicago,  in  1825,  $40.47  as  the  tax,  and  thirteen  as  the 
number  of  the  tax-payers. 

The  clerk  sent  me  a  copy  of  two  poll-books  used  at  Chicago 
— one  at  an  election  held  Aug.  7,  1826,  containing  thirty- 
five  names;  the  other  at  an  election  held  Aug.  2,  1830, 
containing  thirty-two  names;  thus  showing  a  decrease  of 
three  voters  in  four  years.  I  will  read  you  the  names  of 
our  voters  in  1826,  and  you  will  see  that  only  ten  of  the 
fourteen  tax-payers  in  1825  then  voted: 


1  Augustin  Banny.  [Bannot?] 

2  Henry  Kelley. 

3  Daniel  Bourassea. 

4  Cole  Weeks. 

5  Antoine  Ouilmette.  1825 

6  John  Baptiste. Secor. 

7  Joseph  Catie. 

8  Benjamin  Russell. 

9  Basile  Displattes. 

10  Francis  Laframboise,  Sr. 

1 1  Francis  Laframboise,  Jr. 

12  Joseph  Laframboise.  1825 

13  Alexander  Larant. 

14  Francis  Laducier. 

13  Peter  Chavellie. 

16  Claude  Laframboise.  1825 

1 7  Jeremiah  Clairmore  [Clermont  ? 

18  Peter  Junio. 

I  will  now  read  you  the 
showing  that  only  three  of  t 
then  voted  : 


19  John  Baptiste  Lafortune. 


20  John  Baptiste  Malast. 

21  Joseph  I’othier. 

22  Alexander  Robinson.  1825 

23  John  K.  Clark.  1825 

24  David  McKee.  1825 

25  Joseph  Anderson. 

26  Joseph  Pepot. 

27  John  Baptiste  Beaubien.  1825 

28  John  Kinzie.  1825 


29  Archibald  Clybourne. 

30  Billy  Caldwell. 

31  Martin  Vansicle. 

32  Paul  Jamboe. 

33  Jonas  Clybourne.  1825 

34  Edward  Ament. 

2535  Samuel  Johnston. 

names  of  our  voters  in  1830, 
he  fourteen  tax-payers  of  1825 


1  Stephen  J.  Scott. 

2  John  B.  Beaubien.  1825,  1826 

3  Leon  Bourassea. 

4  B.  H.  Laughton. 

5  Jesse  Walker, 

6  Medard  B.  Beaubien. 

7  John  Baptiste  Chavellea. 

8  James  Kinzie. 

9  Russell  E.  Heacock. 

10  James  Brown. 

11  Jos.  Laframboise-  1825,  1826 

12  John  L.  Davis. 


13  William  See. 

14  John  Van  Horn. 

15  John  Mann. 

16  David  Van  Eaton. 

17  Stephen  Mack. 

18  Jonathan  A.  Bailey. 

19  Alexander  McDollo.  [McDole?] 

20  John  S.  C.  Hogan. 

21  David  McKee.  1825,  1826 

22  Billy  Caldwell.  1826 

23  Joseph  Thibeaut 

24  Peter  Frique. 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


1 7 


25  mane  jjeauoien. 

26  Laui-ant  Martin. 

27  John  Baptiste  Secor  1826 
2S  Joseph  Bauskey. 


2;  Mark  Beaubien. 


29  Michael  Welch. 


30  Francis  Laducier,  1826 


31  Lewis  Ganday. 

32  Peresh  Leclerc. 


It  is  a  remarkable  commentary  upon  the  fickleness  of  our 
population,  that  only  six  of  the  men  who  voted  in  1826 
voted  in  1830;  and  these  six  were  half-breeds  or  Govern¬ 
ment  employes.  Father  John  Kinzie,  however,  died  be¬ 
tween  the  two  elections,  upon  the  6th  of  January,  1828, 
aged  65.  But  there  were  some  not  voting  at  the  second 
election,  such  as  the  late  Archibald  Clybourne,  his  father 
Jonas,  and  half-brother  John  K.  Clark,  who  ended  their 
days  with  us.  The  half-breeds  and  French  who  did  not 
vote  may  have  been  away  on  a  hunting  and  trading  expedi¬ 
tion.  The  voters  in  1826  seem  to  have  understood  their 
true  interest,  being  dependents  upon  the  fort,  as  every  one  of 
them  voted  the  Administration  ticket,  John  Quincy  Adams 
then  being  President.  If  there  were  ever  three  men  in  the 
United  States  who  electrified  the  whole  country  with  their 
fiery  denunciations  of  the  military  power,  they  were  Presi¬ 
dent  John  Quincy  Adams,  his  Vice-President  John  C.  Cal¬ 
houn,  and  his  Secretary  of  State  Henry  Clay.  Neither  of 
the  three  ever  forget  Gen.  Jackson  !  It  would  have  seemed 
malicious,  and  yet  quite  pertinent,  on  the  part  of  the  Chicago 
member  of  Congress  to  have  asked  either  of  these  gentlemen 
whether  it  was  not  a  singular  fact  that,  while  Mr.  Adams 
was  President,  the  people  of  Chicago  unanimously  voted 
with  the  fort  !  Ninian  Edwards  for  Governor,  Samuel  H. 
Thompson  for  Lieutenant-Governor.  Daniel  P.  Cook  for 
Congressman,  the  Administration  candidates,  each  received 
thirty-five  votes,  being  all  there  were.  The  much-com- 
plained-of  military  power  of  the  present  day  has  never 
secured  a  greater  unanimity  in  the  colored  vote  of  the 
South.  But  four  years  later,  in  1830,  when  Andrew  Jack- 
son  was  President,  there  was  a  material  change  in  the 
politics  of  the  place.  J ohn  Reynolds,  the  J  ackson  candi¬ 
date  for  Governor,  received  -twenty-two  out  of  the  thirty-two 
votes  cast.  Of  the  six  who  voted  at  both  elections,  and 
who  voted  for  the  Adams  candidate  in  1826,  five  voted  for 
the  Jackson  candidate  in  1830  •  showing  their  consistency 
by  each  time  voting  with  the  Administration,  or  more 
properly  with  the  fort.  Billy  Caldwell,  the  Sauganash,  the 
nephew  of  Tecumseh,  voted  the  Jackson  ticket;  while 
Joseph  Laframboise,  a  noted  Indian  chief,  stood  out  and 
voted  against  it.  Perhaps  Gen.  Jackson,  in  some  of  the 


2 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


1 8 

early  Indian  wars,  had  caused  the  death  of  some  of  Lafram- 
boise’s  relatives  or  friends.  Up  to  1848,  we  had  the  viva 
voce  system  of  voting  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  Each  man 
went  up  to  the  polls,  with  or  without  a  ticket  in  his  hands, 
and  told  whom  he  wanted  to  vote  for,  and  the  judges  so 
recorded  it.  But  in  those  days  the  masses  knew  as  little 
whom  they  were  voting  for  as  they  do  now.  For  the 
judges  often  read  off  the  names  of  the  candidates  from  the 
tickets,  and  the  voter  would  nod  his  head.  There  was  no 
chance,  however,  for  stuffing  the  ballot-box  under  the  viva 
voce  system.  It  may  account  for  the  falling  off  of  the  vote 
between  1826  and  1830,  that  some  persons  would  not  vote 
the  Jackson  ticket,  and  yet  disliked  to  vote  against  the 
fort.  There  were  four  of  the  Laframboise  family  voting  in 
1826,  and  only  one  in  1830.  The  names  of  voters  in  1826. 
indicate  that  full  three-fourths  of  them  were  French  and 
half-breeds.  The  judges  in  1826  were  Father  John  Kinzie, 
the  late  Gen.  John  B.  Beaubien,  and  Billy  Caldwell.  The 
clerks  were  the  late  Archibald  Clybourne  and  his  half-brother 
John  K.  Clark.  The  election  was  held  at  the  Agency 
House,  in  Chicago  Precinct,  Peoria  County.  The  Agency 
House  was  on  the  North  Side,  and  was  the  second  house 
built  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Kinzie’s  being  the  first.  The  Indian 
Agent  was  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  who  died  in  1830,  son- 
in-law  of  Mr.  Kinzie. 

The  election  of  1830,  was  held  in  the  house  of  James 
Kinzie,  Chicago  Precinct,  Peoria  County.  This  house  was 
on  the  West  Side,  near  the  forks  of  the  river.  The  South 
Side  had  no  status  at  that  time,  there  being  nothing  then 
on  that  side  except  the  fort  and  light-house  building,  and 
the  log-houses  of  the  two  Beaubien  brothers, — one  residing 
at  the  lake  shore,  and  one  near  the  forks  of  the  river,  with 
such  a  marsh  between,  that,  much  of  the  time,  their  most 
convenient  way  of  visiting  each  other  was  in  boats  in  the 
river. 

The  judges  at  the  election  of  1830,  were  Russell  E. 
Heacock,  the  first  lawyer  to  settle  in  Chicago,  Gen.  John 
B.  Beaubien,  one  of  the  judges  in  1826,  and  James  Kin¬ 
zie.  The  clerks  were  Medard  B.  Beaubien,  well  known 
in  this  city,  now  principal  f agent  of  the  Pottawatomie  tribe 
of  Indians  at  Silver  Lake,  Shawnee  County,  Kansas,  and 
Jesse  Walker.  The  names  of  voters  in  1830,  indicate 
a  large  influx  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race;  but  among  them 
was  one  Irishman,  probably  the  first  Irishman  who  ever 
trod  the  Chicago  soil.  The  first  thought  that  occurred  to 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


19 


me  was,  What  could  bring  an  Irishman  out  here  all  alone? 
Who  was  to  help  him  celebrate  St.  Patrick’s  Day?  Who 
was  to  attend  his  wake?  His  name  was  Michael  Welch. 
What  have  our  many  Irish  Aldermen  been  thinking  of,  that 
they  have  never  given  us,  in  honor  of  their  first  settler,  a 
Welch  avenue,  a  Welch  street,  a  Welch  schoool-house,  or  a 
Welch  fire-engine?  The  next  thought  that  occurred  to  me 
was,  What  could  he  be  doing  out  here  all  by  himself? 
Now,  what  would  an  Irishman  naturally  do  when  he  found 
himself  here  all  alone,  hundreds  of  miles  distant  from  any 
other  Irishman?  He  was  a  bugler.  He  blew  his  horn. 
He  was  a  discharged  soldier,  and,  having  faithfully  served 
out  his  time,  he  stopped  long  enough  to  vote  the  straight 
Jackson  ticket,  and  then  joined  Captain  Jesse  Brown’s 
*  Rangers  and  marched  on  to  clear  the  Indians  out  of  the 
way  of  his  coming  countrymen,  who  were  already  aroused 
by  his  bugle’s  blast,  as  his  patron  St.  Patrick,  centuries 
before,  had  cleared  the  snakes  out  of  his  way  in  the  land  of 
his  nativity. 

Capt.  Jesse  Brown  was  a  brother  of  the  late  Judge 
Thomas  C.  Brown,  of  our  Supreme  Court,  and  was  author¬ 
ized  by  President  Jackson  to  raise  a  company  of  men,  who 
were  called  “  Brown’s  Rangers,”  and  was  ordered  to  report 
to  Gen.  Stephen  W.  Kearney,  on  the  Western  frontier. 

There  is  a  prevailing  impression  that  Irishmen  never  go 
anywhere  except  in  squads.  But  the  history  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Continent  will  prove  that  Irishmen  have  ventured  as 
far  alone  upon  hazardous  explorations  as  any  other  men. 
But  he  dislikes  to  stay  alone.  Like  the  honey-bee,  when 
he  finds  a  good  thing,  he  wants  some  others  to  come  and 
help  him  enjoy  it.  My  original  Congressional  district 
extended  north  to  the  Wisconsin  line,  west  to  the  Rock 
River  Valley,  south  so  as  to  embrace  Princeton,  LaSalle, 
Bloomington,  Urbana,  and  Danville,  I  had  to  travel  all 
over  this  district  with  a  horse  and  buggy,  and  visit  the 
spare  settlements.  I  often  found  an  Irishman  cultivating 
the  soil  alone.  But  when  I  made  a  second  visit,  I  found 
some  more  Irishmen  there,  or  else  the  original  one  had 
gone.  Gov.  Winthrop,  of  Boston,  in  his  journal  under  date 
of  1642,  tells  us  of  one  Darby  Field,  an  Irishman,  who 
could  not  rest  contented  after  his  landing  in  America  until 
he  had  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  White  Mountains.  He 
was  the  first  man  to  ascend  Mount  Washington,  and  when 
.asked  why  he  went,  replied,  “  Merely  to  take  a  look  at  the 
country  !” 


20 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


The  official  dispatches  of  one  of  the  battles  of  the  Mexi¬ 
can  War  commended  the  conduct  of  Private  Sullivan,  of 
one  of  our  Chicago  regiments.  In  the  battle  he  had 
advanced  before  his  company,  engaged  in  a  single  combat 

•  with  a  Mexican  officer,  and  killed  him.  I  called  President 
Polk's  attention  to  the  report,  and  asked  for  Sullivan’s  pro¬ 
motion.  He  referred  the  matter  to  the  Adjutant-General. 
Time  passed  along,  and  no  appointment  was  sent  to  the 
Senate.  I  called  upon  the  Adjutant-General,  and  he  read 
me  a  letter  from  Sullivan’s  superior  officer,  commending  his 
courage  and  general  good  conduct,  but  strongly  protesting 
against  his  appointment  as  Lieutenant  in  the  regular  army, 
on  account  of  his  deficiency  in  West  Point  education.  I 
appealed  to  the  President,  and  it  did  not  take  long  to 
satisfy  him  that  good  fighting  in  war-time  would  counter-* 
balance  all  deficiencies  in  education,  and  Sullivan  was 
promoted.  Some  time  after  the  close  of  the  war,  his  father 
called  upon  me,  said  he  had  not  heard  from  his  son  for  a 
long  time,  and  wanted  me  to  find  him.  Many  of  you  will 
remember  the  father,  Jeremiah  Sullivan,  at  one  time  Justice 
of  the  Peace, — a  tall  and  well-proportioned  gentleman,  with 
as  prepossessing  a  general  appearance  as  any  gentleman 

•  who  walked  our  streets.  I  wrote  to  Washington,  and 
received  for  answer  that  Sullivan  resigned  his  Lieutenancy 
at  the  close  of  the  war.  Inside  the  official  letter  was  a 
note  marked  “  private  and  unofficial.”  “  Tell  Sullivan’s 
father  to  read  the  news  from  Mexico.  I  enclose  some 
scraps  from  a  New  Orleans  newspaper,  and  the  Col.  Sul¬ 
livan  therein  mentioned  is  reported  to  be  the  date  Lieut. 
Sullivan  of  the  regular  army.”  Some  time  afterwards,  an 
officer  of  the  army  gave  me  the  following  account :  After 
the  close  of  the  war  with  Mexico,  some  of  the  officers  were 
tarrying  late  at  dinner,  when  Lieut.  Sullivan  entered  and 
was  saluted  with  “  Will  you  join  us,  Lieut.  Sullivan  ?” 
“Col.  Sullivan,  if  you  please,  gentleman,”  was  the  reply. 
Whereupon  one  of  the  officers  said,  “It  will  not  surprise  us 
at  all  if  you  are  Col.  Sullivan.  If  your  killing  that  Mexican 
was  of  so  much  account  as  to  put  you  on  an  equality  with 
us  who  have  studied  four  years  at  West  Point,  and  have 
seen  considerable  active  service,  a  little  personal  favoritism 
might  carry  you  still  higher,  and  make  you  a  Colonel. 
Why,  Lieut.  Sullivan,  if  you  should  kill  another  Mexican, 
those  politicians  at  Washington  would  make  you  Com- 
mander-in-Chief !”  “Gentlemen,”  said  Sullivan,  “it  is 
business  that  brings  me  here.  Here  is  my  commission  as 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


21 


Colonel  in  the  Mexican  revolutionary  army,  and  now  you 
know  my  authority.  And  now,  here’s  my  business  in  this 
paper,  which  I  will  read."  He  then  read  a  paper  authoriz¬ 
ing  and  requesting  him  to  employ  a  competent  engineer 
upon  his  staff.  The  officers  reminded  him  that  they  knew 
nothing  of  the  face  of  the  Mexican  country,  had  no  maps, 
knew  not  his  route,  and  insisted  that  they  could  be  of  no 
service  to  him.  “  You  do  not  understand  me,  gentlemen,” 
replied  Sullivan;  “it  is  not  for  what  I  am  going  to  do  that 
I  want  any  of  your  assistance.  I  only  want  you  to  map  it 
out  after  I  have  done  it.  You  are  always  talking  about 
your  military  school,  and  what  you  have  studied,  and  the 
like  of  you  will  be  at  school  hereafter,  and  they  will  want 
to  study  Sullivan’s  Route  to  the  Capital  of  Mexico ;  and  if 
ever  I  should  be  Emperor,  whom  would  I  want  for  Sec¬ 
retary  of  War  but  my  own  Engineer?”  Sullivan  set  out 
upon  his  march  with  no  one  to  map  out  his  route.  He 
penetrated  regions  where  no  man  had  ever  been  before'. 
He  came  out  of  forests  where  men  least  expected  him.  He 
appeared  to  be  everywhere,  and  the  inhabitants  could  make 
no  calculation  where  he  was  not.  They  either  all  joined 
him,  or  fled  before  him.  He  had  everything  his  own  way, 
until,  in  his  efforts  to  join  the  main  army,  he  found  himself 
in  the  fortified  country.  Here  he  missed  his  engineer  and 
his  military  education.  He  was  wounded,  taken  prisoner, 
marched  into  the  Plaza,  a  bullet  pierced  his  heart,  and  that 
was  the  last  of  Sullivan.  But  it  just  took  a  Chicago  Irish 
boy  to  teach  the  Emperor  Maximilian  how  to  die  the  death 
of  a  soldier  some  twenty  years  afterwards  ;  and  Sullivan  had 
as  much  right  in  Mexico  as  Maximilian. 

There  are  67  names  upon  the  two  voting-lists  of  1825 
and  1830.  Six  voted  at  both  elections,  leaving  61  different 
names,  which,  with  the  four  on  the  tax-list  of  1825  who  did 
not  vote  at  either  election,  constitute  the  65  from  whom 
our  first  families  are  descended. 

And  as  there  may  be  some  pride  in  after  years  in  tracing 
one’s  connection  with  our  first  families,  the  real  Knicker¬ 
bockers  of  Chicago,  1  have  taken  some  pains  to  obtain 
interviews  or  hold  correspondence  with  such  of  them  as 
might  be  living,  and  with  the  descendants  of  such  as  are 
dead.  Of  a  very  large  proportion  of  them  I  can  obtain  no 
knowledge  whatever.  I  shall  publish  all  their  names,  and 
at  some  future  time  shall  publish  what  I  have  ascertained, 
or  may  hereafter  ascertain,  of  their  history  and  of  their  de¬ 
scendants.  When  it  was  known,  in  i860,  that  the  Prince 


22 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


of  Wales  was  to  make  Chicago  a  visit,  one  of  our  society 
men  suggested  that  it  was  my  duty,  as  Mayor  of  the  city,, 
to  select  about  a  hundred  from  our  first  families  and  give 
the  Prince  a  ball.  I  asked  him  to  give  the  names  of  the 
hundred  from  the  first  families.  This  he  said  he  was  un- 
•  willing  to  do.  I  asked  him  then  to  give  me  the  names  of 
even  ten  of  our  first  families,  meaning,  of  course,  nine 
besides  his  own.  This  he  also  declared  himself  unwilling 
to  do.  But  if,  at  any  future  time,  any  one  of  our  society 
men  should  wish  to  make  a  party  from  our  first  families,  he 
may  derive  some  assistance  from  this  lecture. 

At  this  time  I  think  there  are  but  three  of  those  voters 
living.  One  is  Medard  B.  Beaubien,  son  of  the  late  Gen. 
John  B.  Beaubien,  of  this  city,  now  the  leading  man  among 
the  Pottawatomie  Indians,  in  Kansas.  The  second  is 
David  McKee,  now  living  near  Aurora,  Ill.  He  was  bom 
in  Virginia  in  1800,  and  went  to  Cincinnati  when  a  young 
man,  as  a  blacksmith.  Under  the  treaty  of  Chicago,  made 
with  the  Indians  by  Gen.  Cass,  in  1821,  the  Government 
was  to  keep  a  blacksmith  here,  who  was  to  work  exclusively 
for  the  Indians.  Col.  Benjamin  B.  Kerchival,  then  Indian 
Agent,  afterwards  a  prominent  citizen  of  Detroit,  went  to 
Cincinnati  and  employed  McKee  to  come  here  in  that 
capacity.  McKee  reached  Fort  Wayne,  and  there  waited 
for  a  guide.  At  that  time  the  only  mail  Chicago  had  was 
a  monthly  one  to  Fort  Wayne.  He  did  not  wait  long 
before  the  exploring  expedition  of  Maj.  Stephen  H.  Long 
reached  that  place,  and  he  accompanied  it  to  Chicago. 
Turning  to  the  history  of  that  expedition,  by  Prof.  William 
pf.  Keating,  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  I  find  that 
orders  were  issued  to  Maj.  Long,  April  25,  1823,  for  him 
to  commence  at  Philadelphia,  thence  to  proceed  to  Wheel¬ 
ing,  thence  to  Chicago  or  Fort  Wayne,  thence  to  Fort 
Armstrong  or  Dubuque  lead  mines,  thence  up  the  Missis¬ 
sippi  to  F^ort  St.  Anthony,  etc.  The  expedition  reached 
Fort  Wayne,  May  26,  1823,  and  Prof.  Keating  speaks  of 
the  fort  then  there  as  erected  in  1814  on  the  site  of  the  old 
fort,  the  location  of  which  had  been  designated  by  Gen. 
Anthony  Wayne  after  his  victory  over  the  confederated 
Indians  on  the  20th  of  August,  1794,  which  gave  rise  to  the 
treaty  of  Greenville  in  the  following  year.  The  Professor 
says  also,  that  the  expedition  fortunately  met  at  Fort 
Wayne  the  express  sent  from  Chicago  for  letters,  and 
obtained  him  as  guide.  They  left  Fort  Wayne  May  29th, 
1823.  Their  cavalcade  consisted  of  seven  persons,  in- 


'  BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH.  23 

eluding  the  soldier  mail-carrier,  and  a  colored  servant  ;  and 
they  had  two  horses  loaded  with  provisions.  On  the  5th 
of  June  they  reached  Fort  Dearborn,  Chicago,  having  been 
eight  days  in  traveling  the  distance  of  216  miles,  an  average 
of  27  miles  a  day,  their  distance  exceeding  the  usual  allow¬ 
ance  by  16  miles,  in  consequence  of  their  circuitous  route  • 
to  avoid  the  Elkhart  River.  The  railroad  train  now  leav¬ 
ing  here  at  9  a.m.  reaches  Fort  'Wayne  at  2  p.m.  The 
post  at  Chicago  was  abandoned  a  few  months  after  the 
party  reached  it,  in  consequence  of  the  rapid  extension  of 
the  white  population  westward,  and  the  establishment  of  a 
chain  of  military  posts  along  the  Mississippi  River,  render¬ 
ing  the  continuance  of  the  force  here  unnecessary.  An 
Indian  Agent,  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  uncle  of  our  present 
County  Surveyor,  of  the  same  name,  remained  here  to  keep 
up  amicable  relations  with  the  Indians,  and  to  attend  to 
their  wants,  daily  becoming  greater  in  consequence  of  the 
increasing  scarcity  of  game.  Fort  Dearborn  was  not  occu¬ 
pied  by  soldiers  again,  except  temporarily  in  transit,  until 
1832,  when  the  Black  Hawk  troubles  broke  out.  When 
Mr.  McKee  came  here  there  were  but  two  houses  ;  one 
belonging  to  John  Kinzie,  the  other  to  his  son-in-law,  Dr. 
Alexander  'Wolcott,  the  Indian  Agent, — Mr.  Kinzie’s  hav¬ 
ing  been  built  first.  Both  houses  were  built  of  logs,  and 
lined  with  cedar  bark.  The  third  house  was  built  by 
Joseph  Pothier,  a  Frenchman,  and  one  of  the  voters  here 
in  1826,  and  who  until  recently  was  a  resident  of  Mil¬ 
waukee.  He  married  an  Indian  half-breed,  brought  up  by 
Mr.  Kinzie,  and  was  striker  for  Mr.  McKee  in  the  black¬ 
smith  shop.  Mr.  McKee  was  married  by  Mr.  Kinzie,  at 
Mr.  Kinzie’s  house,  and  he  built  the  fourth  house.  All 
four  houses  were  on  the  north  side  ol  the  river. 

The  inhabitants  were  soldiers,  Frenchmen  in  the  employ 
of  the  American  Fur  Company,  and  Indians.  When  the 
fort  was  not  garrisoned,  and  the  fur-traders  were  in  the 
country  making  their  purchases,  the  Indians  constituted 
almost  the  entire  population.  In  i827-’28,  Mr.  McKee 
carried  the  mail  once  a  month  to  Fort  Wayne.  As  his 
Indian  pony  had  to  carry  the  mail-bag  and  the  blankets  for 
him  to  sleep  upon,  he  could  not  carry  corn  for  the  pony 
and  provisions  for  himself.  He  drove  the  pony  in  front  of 
him,  and  cut  down  an  elm  or  basswood  tree  for  the  pony 
to  browse  upon  during  the  night.  He  carried  a  gun  with 
which  he  killed  the  game  for  his  own  food.  His  route  was 
from  here  to  Niles,  Mich.,  thence  to ‘Elkhart,  Ind.,  and 


24 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


thence  to  Fort  Wayne.  His  average  trip,  from  this  place 
to  Fort  Wayne  was  fourteen  days ;  the  quickest  time  he 
ever  made  was  ten  days.  Gen.  John  McNiel,  one  of  the 
heroes  in  the  battle  of  Lundy’s  Lane,  commanded  the  fort 
when  Mr.  McKee  came  to  Chicago.  Soon  after  his  arrival, 

*  a  sailing  vessel,  called  the  Heartless,  undertook  to  enter 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  ran  ashore,  and  was  beached  in  the 
sand.  They  tried  to  cut  her  out,  but  she  went  to  pieces. 
About  a  year  thereafter  the  first  vessel  entered  the  harbor, 
and  anchored  opposite  the  fort.  It  was  the  United  States 
revenue-cutter  Fairplay.  When  we  speak  of  the  first  vessel 
coming  to  Chicago,  there  is  always  a  confusion  between 
the  vessels  that  anchored  outside  and  the  vessels  that 
actually  came  up  into  the  river.  It  is  claimed  that  this 
United  States  revenue-cutter  Fairplay  was  the  first  one  to 
actually  enter  the  river.  In  1826,  there  came  here  a  sail¬ 
ing  vessel  called  the  Young  Tiger,  to  enter  the  river,  but 
she  anchored  out  in  the  lake,  slipped  her  cable,  and  went 
ashore. 

Mr.  E.  Buell,  now  residing  in  Clinton  County,  Iowa, 
near  Lyons,  aged  75,  claims  that  he  was  pilot  and  naviga¬ 
tor  on  the  schooner  Aurora,  Capt.  Titus,  that  came  to 
Chicago  in  1820  or  1821;  but  he  leaves  the  question  un¬ 
settled  as  to  whether  or  not  he  came  up  into  the  river. 
The  steamers  which  brought  here  the  troops  of  Gen.  Scott, 
in  1832,  had  to  anchor  some  distance  outside.  The  per¬ 
sons  claiming  to  have  been  upon  the  first  vessel  that  passed 
over  the  Chicago  bar  and  came  up  into  the  river,  are  even 
more  numerous  than  those  claiming  to  be  descendants  of 
the  persons  who  had  the  first  white  child  born  in  Chicago. 
I  will  not  discuss  this  matter  now,  as  the  mass  of  you  care 
less  about  those  who  had  the  first  child  than  you  do  about 
those  who  are  to  have  the  next  one,  and  what  is  to  become 
of  it. 

The  third  man  now  living  who  voted  in  Chicago  Pre¬ 
cinct,  Peoria  County,  in  1830,  is  our  well-known  fellow- 
citizen,  Mark  Beaubien.  He  came  here  in  1826.  to  visit  his 
brother,  John  B.  Beaubien,  who  was  an  employe  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  and  who  lived  in  a  log-house  near 
the  lake-shore,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  on  the  South 
Side.  Mark  returned  to  Detroit,  and  brought  his  family 
here,  and  built  him  a  log-house,  fronting  the  river,  on 
what  is  known  as  the  “  Old  Wigwam  Lot,”  on  the  corner  of 
Lake  and  Market  streets  ;  it  being  at  that  time  the  only 
dwelling-house  on  the  South  Side,  except  his  brother's. 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


25 


He  constructed  it  for  hotel  purposes,  and,  when  the  Indian 
Chief  Sauganash  learned  his  design,  he  told  him  that 
Americans  named  their  hotels  after  big  unen,  and  asked 
him  what  he  was  going  to  call  it.  Mr.  Beaubien  took  the 
hint,  and  said  “I'll  call  it  Sauganash  !”  A  few  years  after¬ 
wards,  he  built  a  large  addition  to  it,  which  was  the  first 
frame-house  built  on  the  South  Side.  It  was  in  this  house 
that  I  took  my  first  meal,  on  my  arrival  here  in  1836,  it  being 
then  kept  by  John  Murphy.  Mr.  Beaubien  was  born  in  1800, 
and  in  Detroit,  where  his  father  was  also  born;  but  his  grand¬ 
father  was  an  emigrant  from  France.  He  established  the  first 
ferry,  at  the  forks  of  the  river.  He  was  an  original  fiddler, 
having  inherited  the  art  in  the  natural  way ;  and  he  will 
probably  die  one.  In  case  of  the  absence  of  the  music  at 
any  of  our  parties  in  olden  times,  Mr.  Beaubien  was  always 
sent  for,  and  when  one  fiddle-string  broke,  he  was  good  for 
the  three ;  and,  when  another  broke,  he  could  still  keep  up 
the  music ;  and  if  there  were  only  one  string  left,  a  party 
would  never  go  away  disappointed  if  Mr.  Beaubien  was  left 
to  play  upon  it.  He  has  done  much  to  keep  up  our  first 
families,  having  had  twenty-three  children.  His  grand¬ 
children  had  numbered  fifty-three  when  the  great-grand¬ 
children  began  to  make  their  appearance,  and  he  stopped 
counting.  I  introduce  him  to  you  to-day  as  the  only  man 
you  will  probably  ever  see  Who  witnessed  the  surrender  of 
an  American  army.  God  grant  that  such  an  event  may 
never  happen  again  1  During  the  War  of  1812,  Mr.  Beau- 
bien's  father,  healing  that  the  town  (Detroit)  was  about  to 
be  bombarded  by  the  British  army,  had  ordered  his  children 
to  go  down  into  the  cellar,  when  news  came  that  Gen.  Hull 
had  surrendered.  Mark  Beaubien  saw  Gen.  Hull  and  his 
staff  rowed  over  to  the  Canadian  shore,  and  then  the 
soldiers  were  taken  over  under  the  charge  of  the  red-coat 
officials. 

Cook  County  was  set  off  from  Peoria  County  under 
an  act  passed  in  1831.  The  first  election  was  in  Aug., 
1832.  The  county  was  named  for  the  Hon.  Daniel  P. 
Cook,  son-in-law  of  Gov.  Ninian  Edwards,  who  was  one 
of  the  first  United  States  Senators  from  this  State.  Mr. 
Cook  was  a  member  of  Congress  from  1820  to  1827,  and 
died  in  1827,  aged  32,  one  of  the  most  talented  men 
who  ever  lived  in  this  State.  As  our  poll-lists  of  the 
first  election,  in  1832,  were  burnt,  I  can  no  longer  trace 
our  first  families,  and  those  who  wish  to  marry  into  them 
must  look  back  to  those  who  were  taxed  in  1825,  or  voted 


26 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


in  1826  or  1830,  if  they  do  not  wish  their  honors  disputed. 
Cook  County  then  included  the  present  Counties  of  Lake, 
McHenry,  DuPage,  and  Will,  all  west  being  included  in 
Jo  Daviess  County.  The  only  voting-place  of  Cook 
County  at  that  time  was  at  Chicago.  The  highest  number 
of  votes  cast  for  all  the  candidates  for  any  one  office  in 
1832  was  114,  against  32  in  1830,  and  35  in  1826. 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  practice  then,  as  now,  to  take 
our  officers  from  Galena,  and  then,  as  now,  they  were  very 
good  men.  Galena  and  Chicago  were  then  in  the  same 
Representative  and  Senatorial  Districts.  Col.  James  M. 
Strode  was  elected  to  the  Senate,  and  Benjamin  Mills  to 
the  House,  both  being  attorneys-at-law  at  Galena.  Elijah 
Wentworth,  Jr.,  who  died  at  Galesburg,  Ill.,  on  the  iSth  of 
November  last,  received  all  the  votes  for  Coroner  at  this 
election.  He  wrote  me,  just  before  his  death,  that  he 
went  with  his  father,  Elijah  Wentworth,  Sr.,  from  Maine  to 
Kentucky;  they  moved  thence  to  Dodgeville,  Wis.,  where 
he  was  living  at  the  time  Jefferson  Davis  was  constructing 
Fort  Winnebago,  about  75  miles  distant.  Davis  had  been 
ordered  there  soon  after  his  graduation  at  West  Point  in 
1828,  and  he  often  visited  Dodgeville  in  attendance  upon 
social  parties,  and  is  well  remembered  by  old  settlers  there, 
to  this  day.  In  1830,  Mr.  Wentworth  and  his  father  moved 
to  Chicago,  and  rented  a  new  hotel  of  James  Kinzie,  then 
the  best  in  Chicago,  on  the  West  Side,  near  the  forks  of 
the  river.  It  was  a  log-house,  with  upright  boards  upon 
the  outside.  He  carried  the  mail  from  Chicago  to  Niles, 
once  a  month. 

At  the  annual  election  in  August,  1834,  the  highest  num¬ 
ber  of  votes  for  all  the  candidates  for  any  one  office  was 
528,  against  114  m  1832.  Thus  our  population  began  to 
increase.  This  vote  was  for  the  whole  County  of  Cook. 
In  1835,  the  highest  number  of  votes  in  the  entire  county, 
for  all  the  candidates  for  any  one  office,  was  1064.  And 
religious  enterprise  and  liberality  had  so  far  advanced  that, 
at  the  Ladies'  Fair  at  the  old  St.  James,  the  mother  of 
Episcopacy  in  the  Northwest,  on  the  18th  of  June  in  that 
year,  the  receipts  were  $1,431.  In  the  spring  of  1837,  at 
our  first  municipal  election,  the  city  alone  cast  709  votes.* 

It  seems  not  to  be  generally  known  that,  up  to  the  time 
of  the  opening  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  Chicago 
was  not  at  all  troubled  with  mosquitoes;  a  blessing  which 
amply  compensated  for  many  of  our  early  deprivations. 

*  For  list  of  names  on  the  poll-book,  see  “Fergus’  Directory  foi*  1839.” 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


2  7 


The  history  of  Chicago  furnishes  one  with  a  complete 
history  of  an  irredeemable  paper-money  system.  Emigra¬ 
tion  was  fast  tending  westward  in  1835.  Government  land 
was  $1.25  per  acre.  The  emigrants  had  little  or  no 
money,  and  would  purchase  land  on  credit  at  greatly  ad¬ 
vanced  prices.  Eastern  speculators  flocked  here  and  took 
advantage  of  this  condition  of  things.  The  Government 
money  received  for  lands  would  be  deposited  in  the  banks, 
credited  to  the  Government,  and  then  reloaned  back  to 
speculators.  Thus  the  Government  had  credits  in  banks 
to  more  than  the  amount  of  their  capital,  and  their  assets 
consisted  almost  entirely  of  the  notes  of  Western  specu¬ 
lators.  The  Government  was  out  of  debt,  and  had  no  use 
for  its  surplus,  which  was  forming  the  basis  of  those  large 
speculative  loans,  and  men  became  even  more  excited  and 
reckless  than  were  the  land-operators  here  in  Chicago  at 
the  time  of  the  recent  panic.  Besides,  money  was  taken 
from  every  branch  of  business  to  invest  in  these  Western 
speculations.  The  President  of  the  United  States  had  no 
power  to  stop  the  sales  of  lands  or  to  limit  bank  discounts. 
He  saw  the  immediate  necessity  of  arresting  this  condition 
of  things,  and  he  had  no  other  way  to  do  it  than  to  issue 
an  order  that  nothing  but  gold  and  silver  should  be  re¬ 
ceived  for  the  public  lands.  According  to  an  invariable 
law,  a  redundancy  of  paper  had  driven  the  precious  metals 
out  of  the  country,  and  the  banks  had  not  the  specie 
wherewith  to  redeem  their  bills,  which  were  fast  being  pre¬ 
sented  to  obtain  land-office  money.  The  banks  all  failed,, 
and  corporations  and  individuals  issued  certificates  of  in¬ 
debtedness,  which  were  interchanged  as  currency.  States, 
counties,  and  cities  paid  their  debts  in  warrants  upon  an 
empty  treasury.  The  Canal  Commissioners  paid  contract¬ 
ors  in  scrip,  and  the  contractors  paid  their  laborers  in  a 
lesser  scrip,  redeemable  in  the  scrip  of  the  Commissioners. 

Nearly  every  man  in  Chicago  doing  business  was  issuing 
his  individual  scrip,  and  the  city  abounded  with  little 
tickets,  such  as  “Good  at  our  store  for  ten  cents,”  “Good 
for  a  loaf  of  bread,”  “Good  for  a  shave,”  “Good  for  a 
drink,”  etc.,  etc.  When  you  went  out  to  trade,  the  trader 
would  look  over  your  tickets,  and  select  such  as  he  could 
use  to  the  best  advantage.  The  times  for  a  while  seemed 
very  prosperous.  We  had  a  currency  that  was  interchange¬ 
able,  and  for  a  time  we  suffered  no  inconvenience  from  it, 
except  when  we  wanted  some  specie  to  pay  for  our  post¬ 
age.  In  those  days  it  took  25  cents  to  send  a  letter  East. 


28 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


But  after  a  while  it  was  found  out  that  men  were  over-issu¬ 
ing.  'Fhe  barber  had  outstanding  too  many  shaves;  the 
baker  too  many  loaves  of  bread;  the  saloon-keeper  too 
many  drinks,  etc.,  etc.  Want  of  confidence  became  gen¬ 
eral.  Each  man  became  afraid  to  take  the  tickets  of  an¬ 
other.  Some  declined  to  redeem  their  tickets  in  any  way, 
and  some  absconded.'  And  people  found  out,  as  is  always 
the  case  where  there  is  a  redundancy  of  paper  money,  that 
they  had  been  extravagant,  had  bought  things  they  did  not 
need,  and  had  run  in  debt  for  a  larger  amount  than  they 
were  able  to  pay.  Of  course,  nearly  everyone  failed,  and 
charged  his  failure  upon  President  Jackson’s  specie  circular. 
In  after  times,  I  asked  an  old  settler,  who  was  a  great 
growler  in  those  days,  what  effect  time  had  had  upon  his 
views  of  Gen.  Jackson’s  circular.  His  reply  was  that  Gen. 
Jackson  had  spoiled  his  being  a  great  man.  Said  he,  “I 
came  to  Chicago  with  nothing,  failed  for  $100,000,  and 
could  have  failed  for  a  million,  if  he  had  let  the  bubble 
burst  in  the  natural  way.” 

A  single  instance  will  illustrate  to  what  various  purposes 
those  little  tickets  of  indebtedness  could  be  put.  A  boy 
had  a  ticket  “Good  for  a  drink.”  He  dropped  it  into  the 
church  contribution -box,  and  heard  no  more  of  it.  He 
told  another  boy,  who  did  the  same  thing  with  the  same 
result.  That  boy  told  his  sister,  who  told  her  mother,  who 
told  her  husband,  who  deemed  it  his  duty  to  tell  the  Dea¬ 
con.  Meanwhile  the  boys  were  putting  in  the  tickets 
“Good  for  a  drink,”  and  telling  the  other  boys  to  do  the 
same.  The  Deacon,  alive  to  all  the  responsibilities  of  his 
position,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  entered  a  saloon; 
■called  the  barkeeper  one  side,  and  asked  him  to  change  a 
$1  scrip,  well  knowing  he  could  not  do  so  unless  it  were  in 
liquor-tickets.  The  saloon-keeper  was  afraid  to  offer  such 
tickets,  and  declined  to  make  the  change,  until  the  Deacon 
gave  him  a  hint  that,  although  he  did  not  stimulate  himself, 
he  thought  he  could  use  the  tickets.  Then,  said  the  Dea¬ 
con,  “  I  have  a  curiosity  to  know  the  extent  of  the  circula¬ 
tion  of  these  tickets,  and  really  wish  you  would  put  a  private 
mark  upon  them,  and  notify  me  when  one  returns.”  Think 
of  a  Deacon  putting  such  currency  into  a  contribution-box ! 
But  he  did  it,  and  the  boys  put  in  some  more.  On  Monday 
afternoon,  the  Deacon  was  notified  that  one  of  his  tickets 
had  been  redeemed.  Oh,  what  a  chance  for  a  scandal 
case!  Imagine  that  such  a  thing  had  happened. in  our  day! 
Think  of  our  enterprising  newsgatherers  calling  upon  a 


I 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH.  29 

Deacon,  and  asking  him  what  was  the  average  time  of  a 
liquor-ticket's  going  from  his  church  contribution-box  to  a 
saloon !  With  solemn  tread  the  Deacon  made  his  way  to 
his  pastor's  residence,  and  asked  him  what  disposition  he 
made  of  the  various  tickets  taken  from  the  contribution- 
box.  The  reply  was  that  his  wife  assorted  them,  strung 
them  upon  different  strings,  entered  them  upon  a  book, 
and  gave  the  church  credit  as  she  used  any  of  them. 
“And  do  you  say,  my  dear  brother,”  asked  the  Deacon, 
“that  you  have  no  knowledge  of  the  particular  uses  to 
which  these  tickets  have  been  put?”  “I  do  say  so,”  said 
the  pastor.  The  Deacon  breathed  freer.  He  had  cleared 
his  pastor,  but  I  have  no  doubt  he  prayed,  “May  the  Lord 
have  mercy  on  his  poor  wife !”  The  wife  was  called,  and 
her  husband  said,  “The  Deacon  wishes  us  to  give  an  ac¬ 
count  of  the  proceeds  of  the  contribution-box.”  “Not 
exactly  so,  my  dear  sister,”  said  the  Deacon;  “but  I  wish 
to  know  for  what  purposes  the  liquor-tickets  have  been 
used.”  She  comprehended  the  matter  at  once,  and 
promptly  replied,  “Why,  Deacon,  did  you  want  them?  I 
never  thought  you  were  a  drinking  man.  Now,  as  you 
didn’t  have  the  tickets,  will  you  share  with  us  the.  proceeds? 
Let  us  all  take  a  drink  1”  She  rushed  to  her  pantry, 
brought  out  a  pitcher,  with  tumblers,  and  it  was  filled  with 
— milk !  In  making  the  change  with  her  milkman  his  eyes 
had  fallen  upon  these  tickets,  and  he  said  he  could  use 
them.  Thus  throwing  the  liquor-tickets  into  the  contribu¬ 
tion-box  was  but  a  repetition  of  the  old  adage,  “Evil  be 
thou  my  good.”  They  had  discharged  all  the  functions  of 
the  modem  greenback,  even  to  furnishing  a  poorly-paid 
clergyman’s  children  with  milk. 

Not  long  after  our  Chicago  citizens  were  victimized  by 
another  irredeemable  currency  device.  Michigan  legisla¬ 
tors  thought  that,  while  there  was  not  specie  enough  in  the 
country  for  a  banking  basis,  there  was  land  enough.  So 
they  passed  what  is  known  as  the  “Real  Estate  Banking 
1  aw.”  They  contended  that  real  estate  rvas  better  than 
gold  and  silver,  because  a  man  could  not  run  away  with 
•  al  estate.  Chicago  merchants,  business  men,  and  specu- 
Ltors  generally,  instead  of  paying-  their  debts  with  their 
money,  bought  Michigan  wild  lands,  had  them  appraised, 
and  then  mortgaged  them  for  bills,  which  they  brought 
home  to  pay  their  debts  with.  Real  estate,  which  is  gener¬ 
ally  the  first  property  to  feel  the  effects  of  inflated  currency, 
soon  rose  in  value,  and  its  owners  paid  Michigan  another 


30 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


visit,  secured  a  higher  appraisal  of  their  lands,  and  ex¬ 
changed  the  second  mortgage  for  some  more  bills.  For 
about  a  year  we  had  excellent  times  again  in  Chicago.  But 
then  confidence  began  to  weaken.  Agents  were  sent  into 
the  country  to  buy  anything  they  could,  provided  Michigan 
money  would  be  taken.  Merchants  would  post  in  their 
windows  a  list  of  bills  that  they  would  receive  for  a  given 
day,  and  then  revise  the  list  for  the  next  day.  The  bubble 
soon  burst,  and  every  one  was  the  poorer  for  the  good  times 
he  had  enjoyed.  Manual  labor,  which  was  the  last  thing 
to  rise,  was  the  last  resting-place  of  the  worthless  bills. 

During  all  this  excitement  incident  to  our  great  variety 
of  irredeemable  paper,  our  sufferings  were  the  greatest  for 
postage  money,  which  had  always  to  be  in  specie,  and 
specie  was  then  at  from  50  to  xoo  per  cent  premium  in  our 
depreciated  currency.  But  postage  was  then  reckoned  by 
the  sheet  instead  of  by  weight.  The  result  was  that, 
although  friends  wrote  but  seldom,  their  letters  were  a  sort 
of  daily  journal.  When  anything  occurred  to  them,  they 
would  write  it  out ;  and  when  they  had  filled  a  sheet,  often¬ 
times  writing  crossways  also,  they  mailed  it  as  soon  as  they 
could  raise  the  postage.  In  traveling  at  the  East,  I  have 
fallen  in  with  several  of  these  letters  written  in  early  times, 
whose  publication  would  add  materially  to  the  early  history 
of  our  city.  But  their  contents  were  so  mixed  up  with 
private  matters  appertaining  to  different  families  that  it  is 
impossible  to  obtain  possession  of  them.  As  our  laboring 
men  were  paid  in  currency,  it  often  took  more  than  a  day's 
work  to  pay  the  postage  on  a  letter  to  an  Eastern  friend. 

I  will  relate  an  anecdote  to  illustrate  this  matter.  Soon 
after  mv  first  election  to  Congress,  a  young  man  who  had 
rendered  me  material  service,  made  me  a  call,  and  ob¬ 
served  that  postage  was  very  high;  in  which  sentiment  I 
concurred,  and  promised  to  labor  to  reduce  it.  He  then 
remarked  that  I  would  have  the  franking  privilege;  to 
which  I  assented,  and  promised  to  labor  to  abolish  it. 
But  all  this  did  not  seem  to  interest  the  young  man,  and  I 
was  perplexed  to  know  the  drift  of  his  conversation. 
Finally,  with  great  embarrassment,  he  observed  that  he  was 
engaged  to  a  young  lady  at  the  East,  and  wanted  to  know 
if  I  could  not  frank  his  letters.  I  explained  that  there  was 
but  one  way  to  avoid  the  responsibilities  of  the  law,  and 
that  was  for  him  to  write  his  letters  to  me,  and  then  I 
could  write  a  letter  to  her,  calling  her  attention  to  his;  and 
she  could  have  the  same  privilege.  The  correspondence 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


31 


took  this  form  until  the  Congressman  from  her  district 
asked  me  if,  at  the  close  of  the  session,  I  was  going  home 
by  the  way  of  his  district.  I  did  not  comprehend  him 
until  he  stated  that  he  was  well  acquainted  in  the  family  of 
the  lady  with  whom  I  had  been  corresponding,  and  sug¬ 
gested  that,  if  I  was  going  to  be  married  before  the  next 
session,  it  would  be  pleasant  for  us  to  board  at  the  same 
house !  This  put  a  new  phase  upon  my  way  of  dodging  an 
abuse  of  the  franking  privilege,  and  I  wrote  to  my  constit¬ 
uent  that  he  must  bring  his  courtship  to  a  close,  and  he 
did  so.  Four  letters  from  him  and  three  from  her  covered 
the  transaction,  and  I  stand  indebted  to  this  day  to  the 
“conscience-fund”  of  the  Post-Office  Department  for  $1.75. 
But  this  was  a  very  insignificant  sum  to  pay  for  the  secur¬ 
ing  of  a  good  Yankee  girl  to  the  West  in  those  days. 
Besides,  there  are  seven  in  the  family  now,  and  one  went 
to  the  War;  and  that  $1.75  was  an  insignificant  bounty  to 
pay  for  a  soldier.  After  all,  the  best  way  to  procure  sol¬ 
diers  is  to  breed  them  yourself.  But  every  time  any  one 
speaks  to  me  about  the  corruptions  and  defalcations  among 
public  men  of  the  present  day,  I  see  “mene,  rnene,  tekel, 
upharsin”  written  on  the  wall!  I  think  of  that  $1.75,  and 
say  nothing. 

Not  satisfied  with  the  real  estate  banking  experiment  in 
Michigan,  of  trying  to  make  easy  times  without  prompt 
specie  redemption,  some  of  the  speculators  of  Illinois 
thought  that  they  would  try  the  Michigan  system,  with 
State  bonds  substituted  for  lands.  Tire  result  of  this  last 
experiment  is  too  familiar  to  the  mass  of  our  citizens  to 
need  an  extended  comment.  Money  was  borrowed,  and 
State  bonds  were  purchased.  The  most  inaccessible  places 
in  our  State  were  sought  out  for  the  location  of  banks,  and 
bills  were  extensively  issued.  Money  was  abundant,  prices 
of  everything  advanced,  and  a  financial  millenium  was  once 
more  among  us.  The  consequences  of  this  system  were 
quite  as  disastrous  as  those  of  the  real  estate  system  of 
Michigan.  Considering  its  age,  Chicago  has  been  the 
greatest  sufferer  of  any  place  in  the  world  from  an  irre¬ 
deemable  paper-money  system.  Its  losses  in  this  respect 
will  nearly  approximate  those  from  the  great  fire.  And 
when  you  talk  to  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Chicago  about 
the  advantages  accruing  from  an  irredeemable  money  sys¬ 
tem,  you  waste  your  labor.  He  has  been  there ! 

One  of  our  early  amusements  was  that  of  wolf-hunting. 
Experienced  Indian  ponies  were  plenty  in  our  city.  The 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


last  hunt  1  remember  had  for  its  object  the  driving  of  as 
large  a  number  of  wolves  as  possible  up  to  the  ice  upon  the 
lake  shore,  and  as  near  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  as  could 
be  done.  There  was  to  be  no  shooting  until  the  wolves 
had  got  upon  the  ice.  No  person  was  to  fire  unless  his 
aim  was  entirely  over  ice,  and  then  to  the  eastward.  Two 
parties  started  early  in  the  morning,  one  following  the  lake 
shore  south,  and  the  other  the  river,  to  meet  at  a  common 
centre  not  far  from  Blue  Island.  Then  they  were  to 
spread  themselves  out,  cover  as  much  territory  as  possible, 
and  drive  the  wolves  before  them.  About  4  o’clock  in  the 
afternoon,  a  wolf  made  his  appearance  in  the  outskirts  of 
the  city.  The  news  was  spread,  and  our  people  turned  out 
on  foot,  keeping  along  the  margin  of  the  river,  so  as  to 
drive  the  wolves  upon  the  ice  of  the  lake  shore.  One  wolf 
after  another  made  his  appearance,  and  soon  we  saw  the 
horsemen.  The  number  of  wolves  was  about  the  same  as 
that  of  Samson’s  foxes.  The  men  were  so  eager  to  get  the 
first  fire  at  a  wolf  that  the  tramp  of  their  horses  broke  the 
ice;  and,  as  the  wind  was  rather  brisk,  it  broke  away  from 
the  shore,  with  the  wolves  upon  it,  and  drifted  northeast¬ 
erly,  very  much  in  the  same  direction  as  that  taken  by  the 
recent  unfortunate  balloon.  But  the  wolves,  unlike  the 
man  in  the  balloon,  took  no  reporter  on  board.  Men, 
women,  and  children  lined  the  bank  of  the  lake,  expecting 
to  see  the  ice  break  in  pieces  and  the  wolves  swim  ashore. 
But  it  did  not  do  so.  Our  people  watched  the  ice,  and 
could  see  the  wolves  running  from  side  to  side,  until  they 
faded  away  from  view.  When  I  took  my  last  look,  they 
appeared  about  the  size  of  mice. 

About  two  weeks  afterwards,  a  letter  appeared  in  a 
Detroit  paper  containing  an  account  of  some  farm  settle¬ 
ments,  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  being 
attacked  by  a  large  body  of  hungry  wolves.  They  de¬ 
stroyed  fowls  and  cattle,  and  for  several  days  spread  terror 
through  the  neighborhood.  We  always  supposed  that 
those  were  our  wolves,  but  our  hunters  never  laid  any 
claim  to  them,  as  the  news  of  their  arrival  was  so  long  in 
reaching  here.  And  as  an  evidence  of  the  tardy  transit  of 
merchandise  and  mails,  in  those  days,  I  will  state  that  our 
newspapers  of  September,  1835,  announce  the  arrival  of  a 
schooner,  with  goods,  twenty  days  from  New  York  City, 
the  shortest  time  ever  made.  A  newspaper  of  Dec.  24, 
1836,  announces  that  President  Jackson’s  message  to  Con¬ 
gress  was  only  twelve  days  on  its  route  from  Washington. 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


33 


It  was  published  here  Saturday,  but  the  editor  says  he 
would  have  issued  it  on  Thursday,  but  for  the  extreme  cold 
weather. 

The  first  divorce  suit  in  our  city  was  brought  in  1835. 

Land  speculation  had  become  so  brisk  here  in  1835,  that 
from  Jan.  4th  to  Oct.  21st  of  that  year,  the  papers  announce 
that  Augustus  Garrett  (afterward  mayor  of  the  city)  had 
sold  land  at  his  auction-rooms  to  the  amount  of  $1,800,000. 
Our  people  had  commenced  litigation  so  much  that  at  the 
commencement  of  Cook  county  circuit  court  in  May,  1836, 
there  were  230  cases  on  the  civil  docket,  and  the  court  sat 
two  weeks.  Litigation  so  increased  that  in  May,  1837, 
there  were  700  cases  on  the  civil  docket.  The  newspapers 
pointed  to  the  alarming  fact  that  over  a  million  dollars  were 
involved  in  these  cases. 

The  West  Side  was  the  last  to  advance  in  population. 
Although  at  one  time,  prior  to  the  city’s  incorporation,  it 
undoubtedly  had,  as  it  does  now,  the  largest  portion  of  our 
inhabitants,  there  were  only  97  voters  on  the  whole  West 
Side  at  our  first  municipal  election.  These  were  mostly 
from  our  first  families,  as  there  were  living  there  about  that 
time  three  Indian  chiefs,  Sauganash,  Laframboise,  and 
Robinson,  (whose  Indian  name  was  Che-che-pin-gua),  with 
occasional  visits  from  Shaboneh ;  and  any  number  of 
Indians,  French,  and  mixed  breeds  related  to  them.  The 
West  Side  was  the  last  side  to  have  a  piano,  but  the  strains 
of  the  fiddle  were  always  to  be  heard,  and  the  war-dance  was 
no  uncommon  thing.  I  remember  attending  the  wedding 
of  one  of  Laframboise’s  daughters.  She  was  married  to  a 
clerk  in  the  post-office,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Medard  B. 
Beaubien,  heretofore  alluded  to  in  this  lecture.  The  clerk 
was  the  one  who  delivered  letters,  and  of  course  was  well 
known  to  all  our  citizens,  and  was  remarkably  popular. 
He  went  to  the  printing  office  and  had  50  cards  of  invita¬ 
tion  struck  off.  But  when  people  rvent  for  their  letters,  they 
politely  hinted  that  they  expected  a  card  of  invitation  to 
the  wedding.  So  he  was  compelled  to  go  to  the  printing 
office  and  have  50  more  struck  off  These  did  not  last  long, 
and  he  had  100  more.  Then  he  said  that  tickets  were  of 
no  use,  and  everybody  might  come  ;  and  about  everyone 
did  come.  The  ceremony  was  performed  by  Rev.  Isaac  W. 
Hallam,  pastor  of  the  St.  James’  Episcopal  church  of  this 
city.  Plverything  was  high-toned,  well  worthy  of  an  Indian 
chiefs  daughter.  The  house  was  of  no  particular  use,  as 
3 


34 


REMINISCENCES  OK  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


it  was  full  and  surrounded  with  people.  This  wedding  made 
a  strong  impression  on  my  mind,  as  it  was  the  first  time  1 
ever  saw  the  Indian  war-dance.  Some  of  the  guests  not 
only  had  their  tomahawks  and  scalping-knives,  bows  and 
arrows,  but  a  few  of  them  had  real  scalps  which  they  pre¬ 
tended  they  had  taken  in  the  various  Indian  wars.  Their 
faces  were  decorated  with  all  the  favorite  pictures  of  the 
Indians.  And  some  of  our  young  white  men  and  ladies 
played  the  part  of  the  Indian  so  well  that  it  was  difficult  to 
distinguish  them  from  the  real  ones.  It  has  been  a  wonder 
to  me  that,  'while  our  professors  of  music  have  been  invent¬ 
ing  so  many  different  kind  of  dances,  none  of  them  have 
reproduced  the  Indian  war-dance,  which  to  me  is  much 
more  sensible  than  nine-tenths  of  those  which  are  now 
practiced  at  so  many  of  our  fashionable  parties.  I  presume 

that  the  trouble  is,  that  our  ladies  consider  that  the  Indian 
.  '  ,  «  , 

war-paint  extemporized  for  the  occasion,  would  interfere 

with  the  original  paint  put  on  before  they  left  their  homes, 
and  which  they  wished  to  remain  through  the  evening. 
One  of  our  young  men  claimed  that,  at  this  wedding,  amid 
the  crowd,  unperceived,  he  had  clipped  a  lock  from  the 
bride's  long,  flowing,  raven  hair.  Some  of  this  hair  he  had 
put  into  a  breast  pin,  and  very  soon  thereafter,  these 
Indian  bridal  breast-pins  were  about  as  thick  as  were  the 
manufactures  from  our  old  court-house  bell  after  the  fire. 
One  man  who  had  worn  one  for  some  years  was  suddenly 
taken  sick,  and  expected  to  die.  He  called  his  wife  to  his 
bedsieje,  and  told  her  he  deemed  it  his  duty  to  state  to  her 
that  he  had  been  deceiving  her  for  years,  and  he  could  not 
die  in  peace  until  he  had  made  a  confession.  “  I  must  tell 
you  before  I  die,  that  the  hair  in  that  pin  I  have  been 
wearing  so  deceitfully,  is  not  the  hair  of  that  Indian  chief's 
daughter,  but  your  own.”  With  pitiful  eyes  he  looked  to 
his  wife  for  forgiveness.  “And  is  that  all  that  troubles  you  ?" 
said  she;  “what  you  have  just  revealed  in  your  dying 
hour,  only  confirms  my  opinion  of  you.  I  always  supposed 
you  thought  more  of  me  than  you  did  of  a  squaw  !”  And 
now  I  suppose  you  think  that  that  man  died  in  peace. 
But  he  did  not.  He  is  alive  now.  There  is  occasionally 
an  instance  where  a  man  has  survived  a  confession  to  his 
wife.  But  where,  oh  where,  is  there  an  instance  of  a  woman 
who  has  survived  a  confession  to  her  husband  ? 

After  the  marriage  of  this  Indian  chief’s  daughter,  several 
of  our  wealthy  citizens  (wealthy  for  those  days)  gave  return 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


35 


parties.  I  remember  attending  a  very  elegant  one  given  at 
the  house  of  Medard  B.  Beaubien.  I  think  the  fashionable 
society  of  Chicago  subsisted  for  about  two  months  upon 
that  wedding.  Mr.  Beaubien  has  given  me  several  invita¬ 
tions,  as  he  has  others  of  our  old  settlers,  to  visit  him  at  his 
residence  among  the  Pottawatomies.  He  told  me  that  I 
would  be  a  big  Pottawatomie!  He  gave  as  a  reason  for 
abandoning  Chicago,  where  he  was  a  merchant,  that  he 
would  rather  be  a  big  Indian  than  a  little  white  man.  He 
has  the  reputation  of  being  the  handsomest  man  that  was 
ever  in  this  city.  I  met  him  at  Washington,  a  few  years 
ago,  and  he  attracted  great  attention  for  his  remarkable 
personal  beauty. 

The  most  of  the  families  of  wealth,  education,  and  high 
social  position,  about  the  time  of  our  incorporation,  were 
settled  on  the  North  Side.  The  “  Lake  House”  there  was 
the  first  brick  hotel  constructed  in  our  city,  and  it  was  as 
well  furnished  and  conducted  as  any  hotel  west  of  New 
York  city.  Upon  the  South  Side  were  most  of  the  business 
houses,  and  hotels  that  were  kept  for  the  accommodation 
of  farmers  who  came  to  Chicago  with  their  loads  of  grain. 
Business  men  without  families,  clerks,  and  employe's  of 
business  men,  generally  boarded  at  these  hotels  on  the 
South  Side,  often  sleeping  in  the  stores.  We  could  not 
have  anything  like  a  large  party  on  the  South  Side  without 
female  domestics.  The  fashionable  people  on  the  North 
Side  would  invite  our  young  men  to  their  parties  on  that 
side ;  but  when  we  had  a  party  on  the  South  Side,  instead 
of  coming  themselves,  the  ladies  would  send  their  domes¬ 
tics.  And  if  I  were  to  go  into  details  of  the  origin  of  the 
fashionable  society  of  Chicago  of  the  present  day,  I  could 
satisfy  our  young  men  that  whether  they  wanted  to  make 
money  or  raise  healthy  children,  the  best  thing  they  could 
now  do  would  be  to  imitate  the  example  of  some  of  our 
early  settlers,  and  marry  a  lady  who  dares  discharge  an  im¬ 
pudent  or  incompetent  maid,  and  can  do  the  work  herself 
till  she  can  get  a  better  one. 

There  was  considerable  ill-feeling  at  one  time  between 
the  North  and  South  Sides  in  consequence  of  this  discrim¬ 
ination.  But  politics  then,  as  now,  proved  a  great  leveler 
in  society.  There  was  an  elegant  party  given  at  the  Lake 
House  one  evening,  where  one  of  the  most  fashionable  men 
on  the  North  Side,  who  was  a  candidate  for  office,  thought 
he  would  throw  an  anchor  to  the  windward  by  dancing 


36  REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 

with  a  South  Side  dressing-maid,  while  lie  supposed  his  wife 
was  being  entertained  at  the  supper-table.  But  she  enter¬ 
ed  the  ball-room  while  the  dance  was  going  on.  At  once  a 
proud  heart  was  fired.  Quicker  than  thought  she  spoke  to 
a  carriage-driver  who  stood  at  the  door  looking  in  :  “  Can 
you  dance,  Mike?'1  “  It's  only  for  the  want  of  a  partner,” 
was  the  response.  Seizing  him  by  the  hand,  she  said, 
“  Come  on  1”  and  turning  to  the  crowd  she  said,  “  This  is  a 
game  that  two  can  play  at  !”  and  immediately  the  dance 
went  on,  amid  the  applause  of  the  whole  room  ;  the  man 
with  the  South  Side  dressing-maid,  and  his  wife  with  the 
South  Side  driver.  And  thus  free  suffrage  began  its  work 
against  artificial  social  position. 

Not  long  after  my  first  election  to  Congress,  upon  open¬ 
ing  my  mail  at  Washington,  I  found  a  letter  dated  in  the 
western  part  of  Iowa,  then  far  in  the  wilderness,  reading  in 
this  way : 

“  My  Dear  old  Chicago  Friend  :  I  see  you  have  been 
getting  up  in  the  world,  and  it  is  so  with  myself,  who  am 
the  sheriff's  deputy  here,  and  I  also  keep  hotel.  I  am  the 
same  one  who  made  all  the  fuss  dancing  with  the  lady  at 
the  Lake  House  ball,  and  you  were  there ;  and  the  girl  I 
married  is  the  same  domestic  her  husband  danced  with. 
The  judge  of  the  court  boards  at  our  house,  and  he  often 
dances  with  my  wife  at  the  big  parties  here,  where  we  are 
considered  among  the  first  folks,  and  I  reckon  my  wife 
Bridget  would  jAit  on  as  many  airs  as  the  lady  did  at  the 
Lake  House,  if  she  should  catch  me  dancing  with  do¬ 
mestics.  I  found  out  that  those  people  who  made  so  much 
fuss  at  the  Lake  House  were  not  considered  much  where 
they  came  from.  But  they  emigrated  to  Chicago,  and 
then  set  up  for  big  folks.  So  I  thought  I  would  marry 
Bridget  and  start  for  a  new  country  where  I  could  be  as  big 
as  anybody.  And  now  remember  your  old  Chicago  friend, 
and  tell  the  President  that  I  am  for  his  administration,  and 
would  like  to  get  the  post-office  here.” 

I  remember  that,  during  that  session  of  Congress  1 
boarded  at  the  same  house  with  Horace  Greeley,  and  he 
was  frequently  in  my  room ;  and  I  think  that  it  was  from 
this  letter  he  borrowed  his  sentiment,  “Go  west,  young 
man  !” 

In  our  early  times,  it  was  customary  to  excommunicate 
members  of  the  church  as  publicly  as  they  had  been 
admitted.  Now  we  hear  of  admissions,  but  never  of  ex- 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


37 


communications.  Professor  David  Swing  has  come  as  near 
filling  that  bill  as  anyone  we  have  heard  of  recently,  but 
future  historians  will  differ  as  to  whether  he  excommuni¬ 
cated  the  church  or  the  church  him.  I  remember  in  early 
times  here  of  a  clergyman’s  dealing,  at  the  close  of  his 
service,  with  a  member,  one  of  our  well-known  citizens, 
somewhat  after  this  fashion:  “You  will  remember,  my 
hearers,  that  some  time  ago  Mr.  Blank  was  proposed  for 
admission  to  this  church,  and  after  he  had  passed  a  favor¬ 
able  examination  I  called  upon  everyone  present  to  know 
if  there  was  any  objection,  and  no  one  rose  and  objected. 
It  becomes  my  painful  duty  now  to  pronounce  the  sentence 
of  excommunication  upon  him,  and  to  remand  him  back  to 
the  world  again  with  all  his  sins  upon  his  head.”  Where¬ 
upon  a  gentleman  rose  in  his  pew  and  said:  “And  now  the 
world  objects  to  receiving  him  !”  On  which  bursts  of 
laughter  filled  the  house;  and  the  precise  status  of  that 
man  was  never  determined,  as  the  civil  courts  in  those  days 
had  not  begun  to  interfere  in  ecclesiastical  matters.  In 
these  times  the  church  would  undoubtedly  have  called 
upon  the  courts  to  grant  a  mandamus  upon  the  world  to 
receive  him,  or  the  world  would  have  applied  for  an 
injunction  to  prevent  the  church  from  excommunicating 
him. 

In  most  new  settlements  there  can  always  be  pointed  out 
some  particular  class  who  give  tone  to  the  early  society; 
such  as  the  Pilgrims  and  Puritans  of  N%w  England,  the 
Knickerbockers  of  New  York,  the  Huguenots  of  South  Car¬ 
olina,  the  Creoles  of  New  Orleans;  and,  in  the  later  days, 
men  identified  with  manufacturing  interests,  mining  inter¬ 
ests,  railroad  interests,  or  with  seminaries  of  learning.  But 
here  in  Chicago,  in  early  times,  we  had  not  any  one 
prevailing  class  or  interest;  nor  was  there  any  sufficient 
number  of  people  from  any  particular  locality  to  exercise  a 
controlling  influence  in  moulding  public  sentiment.  We 
had  people  from  almost  every  clime,  and  of  almost  every 
opinion.  We  had  Jews  and  Christians,  Protestants,  Catho¬ 
lics,  and  infidels;  among  Protestants,  there  were  Calvinists 
and  Armenians.  Nearly  every  language  was  represented 
here.  Some  people  had  seen  much  of  the  world,  and  some 
very  little.  Some  were  quite  learned,  and  some  very  igno¬ 
rant.  We  had  every  variety  of  people,  and  out  of  these  we 
had  to  construct  what  is  called  society.  The  winters  were 
long;  no  railroads,  no  telegraphs,  no  canal,  and  all  we  had 


38  REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 

to  rely  upon  for  news  were  our  weekly  newspapers.  We- 
had  no  libraries,  no  lectures,  no  theatres  or  other  places 
of  amusement.  If  a  stranger  attended  a  gathering  of  any 
kind,  the  mass  of  attendants  were  equally  strangers  with 
himself ;  and  the  gentlemen  outnumbered  the  ladies  by 
about  four  or  five  to  one.  You  ask  what  society  lived 
upon  in  those  days?  I  answer,  upon  faith.  But  faith 
without  works  is  dead.  From  the  close  to  the  opening  of 
navigation,  nearly  six  months  in  the  year,  we  had  nothing 
to  do.  Our  faith  consisted  principally  in  the  future  of 
Chicago.  Nearly  every  one  had  laid  out  a  town,  and  men. 
exchanged  lots  with  each  other,  very  much  as  boys  swap 
jack-knives.  The  greatest  story-teller  was  about  as  big  a  man 
as  we  had.  If  a  new  story  was  told,  it  was  soon  passed  all 
round  town,  and  due  credit  given  to  the  originator.  If  a 
new  book  appeared  in  our  midst,  that  was  loaned  around 
until  another  new  one  came  to  take  its  place.  Occasion¬ 
ally,  one  of  our  young  men  would  go  East  and  get  him 
a  wife,  and  then  we  discussed  her  for  a  while.  Dress¬ 
makers  would  invariably  make  her  the  first  call,  examine 
her  dresses,  and  then  go  from  door  to  door,  like  a  modern 
census-taker  or  tax-collector,  soliciting  orders  according  to 
the  latest  fashions. 

There  was  great  prejudice  between  the  emigrants  from 
the  South  and  those  from  the  East.  All  our  Eastern  peo¬ 
ple  were  considered  by  the  emigrants  from  the  South  as 
Yankees.  The#first  contest  was  about  the  convention  sys¬ 
tem  ip  politics.  Southerners  denounced  it  vehemently  as 
a  Yankee  innovation  upon  the  old  system  of  allowing  every 
man  to  run  for  office  who  wanted  to  do  so,  and  taking 
his  chances.  Their  system  was  to  solicit  their  friends  to 
solicit  them  to  run  for  office,  and  then  they  reluctantly 
consented,  and  placed  themselves  in  the  hands  of  their 
friends.  All  Yankee  customs,  fashions,  and  innovations 
upon  their  established  usages  were  ridiculed  as  Yankee 
notions,  worthy  only  of  the  peddlers  of  wooden  clocks 
and  pewter  spoons. 

Thomas  Ford,  born  in  Uniontown,  Penn.,  in  1800,  who 
had  lived  in  Illinois  from  1804,  and  whose  father  had  been 
killed  by  the  Indians,  came  here  as  Judge,  and  did  more 
than  any  other  person  to  mollify  the  prejudices  of  the 
South  against  the  North.  He  early  foresaw  that  all  that 
the  early  settlers  of  Illinois  needed,  was  the  growth  of  more 
Yankee  thrift  among  them;  and  he  early  told  his  friends 


39 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWOR'l’k. 

that  while  he  stayed  here  he  was  going  to  conform  to  all 
the  Yankee  notions,  as  fast  as  he  could  ascertain  what  they 
were,  and  wanted  his  acquaintances  to  inform  him  what  he 
should  do  to  prevent  embarrassment  by  non-conformity. 
1  met  him  on  his  rvay  to  Court  one  morning,  and  he  said 
he  had  just  been  detained  by  a  lady  complaining  that  he 
did  not  attend  her  party  on  a  previous  evening.  He  told 
her  that  he  was  very  fond  of  parties,  and  always  attended 
them  whenever  he  could,  but  that  he  held  Court  that  even¬ 
ing  until  it  was  too  late  to  go.  But  this  did  not  satisfy  her. 
She  wanted  to  know,  if  he  could  not  attend,  why  he  did 
not  send  a  “regret.”  He  did  not  understand  the  matter, 
and  made  an  excuse  that  the  Court  was  waiting,  informing 
her  that  he  would  converse  with  her  some  other  time. 
“But,”  said  he,  “what’s  that?  What  did  she  want  me  to 
do  when  I  couldn’t  go?”  I  informed  him  that  the  lady 
had  some  sisters  visiting  her  from  the  East,  and  she  had  a 
pride  in  having  them  write  home  that  among  her  friends 
were  the  very  best  people  in  Chicago,  and  among  them  the 
Judge  of  the  Court;  which  in  his  absence,  a  little  note  from 
him  would  establish.  “Capital,  capital,”  said  he.  “Why 
you  Yankees  have  a  motive  in  all  you  do.  You  turn  every¬ 
thing  to  account.  The  longer  I  live  among  Yankees  the 
more  I  see  why  it  is  that  they  are  getting  rich  and  overrun¬ 
ning  the  country.  Nobody  shall  complain  of  me  hereafter 
in  that  respect.  I’ll  have  some  note-paper  in  my  desk, 
and  if  the  lawyers  detain  me,  I’ll  send  the  Sheriff  with  one 
of  those  little  billet-doux.  If  there  is  any  other  thing 
that  you  Yankees  want  me  to  do  to  testify  my  high  appre¬ 
ciation  of  you,  please  let  me  know.”  The  next  day  the 
Judge  called  at  my  office  with  a  beautiful  little  note,  on 
gilt-edged  paper,  addressed  to  his  wife,  and  reading  as  fol¬ 
lows:  “Judge  Ford’s  compliments  to  Mrs.  Ford  and  the 
•  children,  and  regrets  that  he  cannot  be  home  to  have  the 
pleasure  of  their  society  on  Monday  next.”  Below  this 
was  the  following  postscript:  “The  above  is  one  of  the 
Yankee  notions,  and  when  you  want  to  go  anywhere  and 
cannot,  you  must  always  send  one  of  these,  which  they 
call  a  ‘regret.’  Please  tell  this  to  the  neighbors,  and  also 
tell  them  that  when  I  return  1  shall  have  a  great  many 
stories  to  tell  them  about  different  Yankee  notions.” 

Not  long  after,  I  was  at  Oregon,  Ogle  County,  where  he 
resided,  and  where  he  was  then  holding  Court.  When  it 
became  time  for  the  Sheriff  to  adjourn  the  Court,  the 


40 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


Judge  said,  “Mr.  Sheriff,  don't  forget  that  party  at  my 
house  to-night.”  And  the  Sheriff  exclaimed,  “Hear  ye! 
Hear  ye!  The  Judge  of  this  Court  requests  me  to  say, 
that  he  and  his  lady  would  be  pleased  to  see  you  all  at  his 
house  to-night,  both  citizens  and  strangers!  Now  this  hon¬ 
orable  Court  stands  adjourned  until  to-morrow  morning  at 
9  o’clock.”  It  was  wonderful  to  notice  the  mixture  of 
people  who  unceremoniously  visited  him  that  evening — 
attorneys,  jurors,  suitors,  and  citizens  generally,  with  their 
wives.  One  person  seemed  as  much  at  home  as  another. 
There  was  a  grand  welcome  for  all.  He  was  the  very 
prince  of  hospitality.  His  small  house  could  not  contain 
the  crowd,  and  many  stood  outside  and  mingled  in  the 
entertainments.  The  Judge  passed  through  the  assembly 
with  a  waiter  on  which  was  a  decanter  of  Madeira  wine, 
and  wine-glasses.  His  wife  passed  around  with  another 
waiter  loaded  with  cake.  Said  the  Judge  to  some  Yankee 
gentlemen,  “This  is  the  way  we  original  Illinoisans  give  a 
party.  We  invite  all ;  the  latch-string  is  out ;  all  come  who 
can,  and  those  who  cannot  come  say  nothing.  They  never 
write  any  ‘regrets.’  Indeed,  a  great  many  of  our  prominent 
men  at  the  South  could  not  do  it.  I  have  known  men  in 
our  Legislature  who  could  not  write.”  Then  he  passed 
away  into  a  group  of  people  who  were  natives  of  the  South, 
and  told  them  how  he  got  himself  into  trouble  with  a  Chi¬ 
cago  lady  by  not  writing  her  a  little  billet-doux  explaining 
to  her  why  he  did  not  go  to  her  party,  when  he  wanted  to 
go  more  than  she  wanted  to  have  him.  He  often  uttered 
the  sentiment  that  he  did  not  wish  to  live  in  a  locality 
where  his  house  was  not  large  enough  to  entertain  his 
neighbors  without  making  selections.  He  said  he  must 
either  build  him  a  larger  house  or  move  into  a  distant 
settlement.  When  1  came  away  1  expressed  the  wish 
that  I  might  soon  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  and  his. 
neighbors  in  Chicago.  Whereupon  the  Judge  jocosely 
observed,  “We  will  either  come  and  see  you  or  send  you  a 
billet-doux.”  But  a  Southern  Illinoisan,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  exclaimed,  “Yes,  when  you  Yankee  peddlers  are 
putting  up  wooden  clocks  and  pew:ter  spoons  for  this 
region,  tell  them  to  put  up  a  little  gold-edged  note-paper  for 
us,  and  have  them  to  be  sure  that  the  gold  isn’t  bronze !” 

But  the  people  of  this  State  settled  the  house  question 
for  Judge  Ford.  For,  at  the  next  Gubernatorial  election, 
he  was  made  its  Chief  Magistrate,  and  as  Governor  he 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


41 


rendered  his  name  dear  to  every  Illinoisan  by  his  almost 
superhuman,  but  eminently  successful,  efforts  to  complete 
the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  and  to  restore  the  lost 
credit  of  our  State.  He  died  not  long  after  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  office,  and  left  to  his  children  only  the  pro¬ 
ceeds  of  the  copyright  of  his  History  of  Illinois, — a  book 
which,  when  once  commenced,  no  reader  will  lay  aside 
until  he  has  finished  it.  In  this  work  is  the  only  authorita¬ 
tive  history  of  the  settlement  of  the  Mormons  in  this  State, 
and  their  final  expulsion  of  it,  with  the  assassination  of 
their  leader,  Joseph  Smith.  In  his  preface  he  says:  “The 
author  has  written  about  small  events  and  little  men.  And 
in  all  those  matters  in  which  the  author  has  figured  person¬ 
ally,  it  will  be  some  relief  to  the  reader  to  find  that  he  has 
not  attempted  to  blow  himself  up  into  a  great  man.” 

One  of  our  most  reliable  places  of  entertainment  was  the 
Post-Office  while  the  mail  was  being  opened.  The  Post- 
Office  was  on  the  west  side  of  Franklin  street,  cornering  on 
South  Water  street.  The  mail  coach  was  irregular  in  the 
time  of  its  arrival,  but  the  horn  of  the  driver  announced  its 
approach.  Then  the  people  would  largely  assemble  at  the 
Post-Office,  and  wait  for  the  opening  of  the  mails,  which  at 
times,  were  very  heavy.  The  Postmaster  would  throw  out 
a  New  York  paper,  and  some  gentleman  with  a  good  pair  of 
lungs  and  a  jocose  temperament  would  mount  a  dry -goods 
box  and  commence  reading.  Occasionally  I  occupied  that 
position  myself.  During  exciting  times,  our  leading  men  would 
invariably  go  to  the  Post-Office  themselves,  instead  of  send¬ 
ing  their  employes.  The  news  would  be  discussed  by  the 
assemblage,  and  oftentimes  heavy  bets  would  be  made,  and 
angry  words  passed.  If  it  was  election  times,  there  would 
be  two  papers  thrown  out,  of  opposite  politics,  two  reading 
stands  established,  two  readers  engaged,  and  the  men  of 
each  party  would  assemble  around  their  own  reader.  This 
condition  of  things  would  last  until  the  mails  were  opened, 
when  the  gathering  would  adjourn  until  the  next  blowing  of 
the  driver’s  horn.  This  gathering  afforded  the  best  oppor¬ 
tunity  for  citizens  to  become  acquainted  one  with  another. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  I  was  introduced  to  a  Lieu¬ 
tenant  in  the  army  who  had  just  come  to  take  charge  of  the 
Government  works  in  this  city.  He  had  great  confidence 
in  our  future,  and  expressed  his  intention  to  invest  all  his 
means  here.  He  was  eventually  ordered  away  to  some 
other  station,  but  kept  up  his  interest  in  Chicago.  His 


42 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


taxes  became  high,  too  high  in  proportion  to  his  pay  as  an 
army  officer  and  the  support  of  his  family.  His  wife  had 
once  placed  the  price  of  a  new  dress  in  a  letter  which  was 
to  leave  by  the  return  of  a  mail  which  brought  her  husband 
an  exorbitant  tax -bill.  He  expressed  his  intention  of 
ordering,  by  the  same  mail,  the  sale  of  his  Chicago  pro¬ 
perty,  as  his  means  could  endure  his  taxes  no  longer.  His 
wife  ordered  her  letter  from  the  mail,  took  out  the  money, 
and,  saying  that  she  preferred  the  Chicago  property  to  a 
new  dress,  insisted  that  he  should  use  it  to  pay  his  Chicago 
taxes.  The  next  summer  he  visited  our  city,  and  rented  his 
property  for  enough  to  pay  the  taxes.  That  lady  lost  her 
dress  for  that  year,  but  she  gained  thereby  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  celebrated  (Kingsbury)  estates  in  our  city. 
I  mention  this  fact  to  warn  our  ladies  that  they  should 
never  ask  for  a  new  dress  until  they  find  their  husband’s 
tax-receipt  in  his  wallet;  and,  at  the  same  time,  I  would 
caution  husbands  not  to  try  to  carry  so  much  real  estate 
as  to  make  their  poorly-clad  wives  and  children  objects  of 
charity  when  they  make  their  appearance  in  the  streets. 

Our  early  settlers  were  distinguished  for  their  liberal 
patronage  of  all  religious  denominations,  and  we  had  one 
clergyman  who  created  as  much  sensation  as  any  we  have 
had  since  his  day.  Like  all  really  influential  sensational 
preachers,  he  was  an  original.  He  dealt  freely  in  pathos 
and  in  ridicule.  If  we  cried  once,  we  were  sure  to  laugh 
once,  in  every  sermon.  Unlike  clergymen  now  called  sen¬ 
sational,  he  never  quoted  poetry,  nor  told  anecdotes,  nor 
used  slang  phrases,  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a  laugh. 
There  was  nothing  second-handed  about  him.  I  allude  to 
Rev.  Isaac  T.  Hinton,  a  Baptist  clergyman,  who  was  the 
only  settled  minister  on  the  South  Side  when  I  came  here 
in  1836.  His  residence  was  near  the  corner  of  VanBuren 
street  and  Fifth  avenue,  then  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city, 
and  was  shaded  by  native  oaks.  He  was  a  man  who  never 
seemed  so  happy  as  when  he  was  immersing  converted 
sinners  in  our  frozen  river  or  lake.  It  is  said  of  his  con¬ 
verts  that  no  one  of  them  was  ever  known  to  be  a  back¬ 
slider.  If  you  could  see  the  cakes  of  ice  that  were  raked 
out  to  make  room  for  baptismal  purposes,  you  would  make 
up  your  mind  that  no  man  would  join  a  church  under 
such  circumstances  unless  he  joined  to  stay.  Immersions 
were  no  uncommon  thing  in  those  days.  One  cold  day, 
about  the  first  part  of  February,  1839,  there  .were  17  im- 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


43 


mersed  in  the  river  at  the  foot  of  State  street.  A  hole 
about  20  feet  square  was  cut  through  the  ice,  and  a  platform 
was  sunk,  with  one  end  resting  upon  the  shore.  Among 
the  17  was  our  well-known  architect,  John  M.  VanOsdell, 
alderman-elect,  said  to  be  now  the  only  survivor.  There 
are  many  now  living  who  were  baptized  by  Mr.  Hinton; 
among  them  is  the  wife  of  Hon.  Thomas  Hoyne,  mayor- 
elect.  But  recently  our  Baptist  friends  have  made  up  their 
minds  that  our  lake  has  enough  to  do  to  carry  away  all 
the  sewerage  of  the  city,  without  washing  off  the  sins  of  the 
people.  It  is  also  claimed  for  Mr.  Hinton  that  no  couple 
he  married  was  ever  divorced.  He  was  just  as  careful  in 
marrying  as  he  was  in  baptizing ;  he  wanted  nobody  to  fall 
from  grace. 

It  was  the  custom  in  those  days  to  give  clergymen  dona¬ 
tion  parties.  Now,  we  have  surprise  parties,  where  the 
lady  is  expected  to  endanger  her  health  by  hard-working 
all  day  in  order  to  prepare  her  house  for  a  surprise  in  the 
evening.  The  only  surprise  about  them  is  the  magnificence 
of  the  preparations.  Then  the  party  was  advertised  in  the 
newspapers,  and  a  notice  posted  in  the  vestibule  of  the 
church. 

It  was  customary  in  those  days  for  all  denominations  to 
patronize  liberally  the  clergymen  of  other  denominations. 

Mr.  Hinton  had  a  family  of  children  nearly  grown  up, 
and  consequently  all  the  young  people,  as  well  as  the  old, 
would  be  there  to  have  a  grand  frolic  at  his  donation  party. 
There  were  no  religious  services,  and  the  house  was  com¬ 
pletely  taken  possession  of  by  the  multitude.  People 
would  send  just  what  they  happened  to  have,  and  it  would 
look  at  times  as  if  Parson  Hinton  was  going  into  the  storage 
business.  Cords  of  wood  would  be  piled  before  the  door  ; 
flour,  salt,  pork,  beef,  box-raisins,  lemons,  oranges,  herring, 
dry-goods,  anything  and  everything.  After  the  donation 
party  was  over,  there  was  always  a  large  quantity  left  which 
he  did  not  need,  but  he  knew  exactly  where  to  place  it — 
among  the  destitute  of  the  city.  Probably  no  occasions 
are  remembered  with  more  pleasure  by  the  old  settlers  of 
this  city  than  those  gatherings  at  the  hospitable  mansion  of 
the  jolly  English  preacher,  with  his  attractive  laugh,  who 
always  enjoyed  a  good  story,  and  could  generally  tell  a. 
better  one.  There  are  many  married  couples  in  this  city 
who  will  tell  you  that  there  was  where  they  first  met. 

The  first  Sabbath  I  passed  in  this  city,  my  good  board- 


44 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


ing-house  mistress  (Mrs.  John  Murphy,  present  on  this 
platform  to-day)  took  me  with  her  to  his  church,  as  was  the 
custon  of  Christian  ladies  with  strange  young  men  in  those 
days.  He  told  me  that  godliness  was  profitable  unto  all 
things ;  and  he  was  right.  Christian  men  and  women 
have  not  kept  up  this  good  old  custom  of  taking  young 
men,  strangers  in  the  city,  to  church  with  them,  and  using 
their  efforts  to  lead  them  to  a  high  social  position  with 
their  religious  instruction.  Strange  young  men  now  in  this 
city  are  told  that  there  is  a  moral  infirmary  opened  here, 
entirely  for  their  benefit,  where  the  seats  are  all  free,  and 
men  are  supported  expressly  to  save  such  as  they  are  from 
destruction.  I  never  knew  a  young  man  to  amount  to  Any¬ 
thing  if  he  had  no  respect  for  his  social  position ;  and  that 
position  can  never  be  attained  where  young  men  are  turned 
away  for  religious  instruction,  to  places  to  visit  which  they 
would  not  think  of  inviting  a  young  lady  to  leave  a  respect¬ 
able  church  to  accompany  them.  All  honor  to  those 
clergymen  and  Christians  of  Chicago  who  have  their  weekly 
church  sociables,  where  young  men  are  brought  forward 
into  respectable  social  intercourse,  as  well  as  moral  de¬ 
velopment.  The  celebrated  Indian  chief,  Black  Hawk, 
covered  the  whole  ground  when  he  said  to  Gen.  Jackson, 
“You  are  a  man,  and  I  am  another!” 

Not  feeling  able  to  sustain  the  expense  of  a  whole  pew, 
I  engaged  one  in  partnership  with  an  unpretending  saddle 
and  harness  maker  (S.  B.  Cobb),  who,  by  a  life  of  industry, 
economy,  and  morality,  has  accumulated  one  of  the  largest 
fortunes  in  our  city,  and  still  walks  our  streets  with  as  little 
pretense  as  when  he  mended  the  harnesses  of  the  farmers 
who  brought  the  grain  to  this  market  from  our  prairies.  The 
church  building  in  those  days  was  considered  a  first-class 
one,  and  we  had  a  first-class  pew  therein,  and  the  annual 
expense  of  my  half  of  the  pew  was  only  $12.50  more  than 
it  would  have  been  in  our  Saviour’s  time.  People  wonder 
at  the  rapid  increase  in  the  price  of  real  estate  at  the  west ; 
but  it  bears  no  comparison  with  the  increase  in  the  price  of 
gospel  privileges.  A  good  clergyman  is  well  worth  all  that 
a  liberal-hearted  congregation  may  see  fit  to  pay  him.  But 
the  people  ought  to  cry  out  against  the  reckless  waste  of 
money,  steadily  increasing,  in  the  erection  of  extravagant 
church  edifices.  And  the  pride  in  such  matters  seems  to 
eat  up  all  other  considerations.  During  the  recent  panic, 
a  Christian  lady  of  this  city,  with  a  large  family  of  children. 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


45 


whose  husband  was  suddenly  reduced  from  opulence  to 
penury,  astonished  me  by  observing,  with  tears  in  her  eyes, 
that  her  most  grievous  affliction  was  that  she  would  be 
compelled  to  give  up  her  pew  in  the  church,  which  was  one 
of  the  most  expensive  in  the  city,  and  take  one  in  a  cheaper 
edifice.  And  yet  our  people  sing  in  every  church,  “  God  is 
present  everywhere  !” 

At  the  close  of  service  one  day,  Parson  Hinton  said  he 
thought  Chicago  people  ought  to  know  more  about  the 
devil  than  they  did.  Therefore  he  would  take  up  his  his¬ 
tory,  in  four  lectures ;  first,  he  would  give  the  origin  of  the 
devil ;  second,  state  what  the  devil  has  done ;  third,  state 
what  the  devil  is  now  doing ;  and  fourth,  prescribe  how 
to  destroy  the  devil.  These  lectures  were  the  sensation 
for  the  next  four  weeks.  The  house  could  not  contain  the 
mass  that  flocked  to  hear  him,  and  it  is  a  wonder  to  me 
that  those  four  lectures  have  not  been  preserved.  Chicago 
newspaper  enterprise  had  not  then  reached  here.  The 
third  evening  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten  in  this  city ;  as 
it  would  not  be  if  one  of  our  most  eminent  clergymen,  with 
the  effective  manner  of  preaching  that  Mr.  Hinton  had, 
should  undertake  to  tell  us  what  the  devil  is  doing  in  this 
city  to-day.  The  drift  of  his  discourse  was  to  prove  that 
everybody  had  a  devil  ;  that  the  devil  was  in  every  store, 
and  in  every  bank,  and  he  did  not  even  except  the  church. 
He  had  the  devil  down  outside  and  up  the  middle  of  every 
dance ;  in  the  ladies’  curls,  and  the  gentlemen’s  whiskers. 
In  fact,  before  he  finished,  he  proved  conclusively  that  there 
were  just  as  many  devils  in  every  pew  as  there  were  per¬ 
sons  in  it ;  and  if  it  were  in  this  our  day,  there  would  not 
have  been  swine  enough  in  the  Stock-Yards  to  cast  them 
into.  When  the  people  came  out  of  chnrch,  they  would 
ask  each  other,  “What  is  your  devil?”  And  they  would 
stop  one  another  in  the  streets  during  the  week,  and  ask, 
“What  does  Parson  Hinton  say  your  devil  is?”  The 
fourth  lecture  contained  his  prescription  for  destroying  the 
devil.  I  remember  his  closing:  “Pray  on,  brethren 'and 
fri  nds  ;  pray  ever.  Fight  as  well  as  pray.  Pray  and  fight 
until  the  devil  is  dead  ! 

The  world,  the  flesh,  the  devil, 

Will  prove  a  fatal  snare, 

Unless  we  do  resist  him, 

By  faith  and  humble  prayer.” 

In  this  grand  contest  with  his  Satanic  Majesty,  he,  our 


46  REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


leader,  fought  gloriously,  but  he  fell  early  in  the  strife.  We, 
his  hearers,  have  kept  up  a  gallant  fight  to  this  day,  but, 
judging  by  our  morning  papers,  the  devil  is  still  far  from 
being  dead.  Yet  we  dealt  him  some  heavy  blows  at  the 
recent  election ! 

An  interesting  institution  was  the  ferry-boat  between  the 
North  and  South  Sides.  It  was  a  general  intelligence  office. 
Business  was  done  principally  upon  the  South  Side,  while 
most  of  the  dwelling-houses  were  upon  the  North  Side. 
The  ferryman  knew  about  every  person  in  town,  and  could 
answer  any  question  as  to  who  had  crossed.  The  streets 
had  not  then  been  raised  to  their  present  grade,  nor  the 
river  deepened  or  widened,  and  the  boat  was  easily  acces¬ 
sible  to  teams.  It  was  pulled  across  by  a  rope,  and  was 
not  used  enough  to  kill  the  green  rushes  which  grew  in 
the  river.  If  a  lady  came  upon  the  South  Side  to  pass 
an  evening,  she  would  leave  word  with  the  ferryman  where 
her  husband  could  find  her.  Bundles  and  letters  were  left 
with  him  to  be  delivered  to  persons  as  they  passed.  He 
was  a  sort  of  superannuated  sailor,  and  if  he  had  not  sailed 
into  every  port  in  the  world,  he  -had  a  remarkable  faculty 
of  making  people  think  he  had.  His  fund  of  stories  was 
inexhaustible,  and  he  was  constantly  spinning  his  interesting 
yarns  to  those  who  patronized  his  institution.  Like  most 
sailors,  he  could  not  pull  unless  he  sung,  and  to  all  his 
songs  he  had  one  refrain  with  a  single  variation.  His  voice 
was  loud  and  sonorous.  If  he  felt  dispirited,  his  refrain 
was,  “And  I  sigh  as  I  pull  on  my  boat.”  If  he  felt  jolly 
(and  people  took  particular  pains  to  make  him  so),  his 
refrain  was,  “And  I  sing  as  I  pull  on  my  boat.”  All  night 
long  this  refrain  was  disturbing  the  ears  of  those  who  dwelt 
near  the  banks  of  the  river.  Song  after  song  was  com¬ 
posed  for  him,  in  the  hope  of  changing  his  tune,  but  it 
would  not  be  long  before  he  would  attach  to  it  his  usual 
refrain.  One  of  our  musical  composers  composed  a  qua¬ 
drille,  which  our  young  folks  used  to  dance  in  the  evening 
on  the  ferry,  during  certain  portions  of  which  they  would 
all  join  in  old  Jack’s  refrain,  and  sing,  “And  we’ll  dance 
as  we  ride  on  the  boat.”  There  was  a  little  boy  who  took 
great  delight  in  Jack’s  company,  whose  parents  lived  on 
the  margin  of  the  river  near  the  ferry,  and  as  in  the  last 
of  his  sickness  he  was  burning  with  a  violent  fever,  nothing 
would  quiet  him  but  the  sound  of  old  Jack’s  voice.  Old 
Jack  had  just  sung,  “And  I  sigh  as  I  pull  on  my  boat,” 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


47 


when  the  boy  whispered  his  last  words  to  his  mother,  “And 
I  die  while  Jack  pulls  on  his  boat!”  'Jack  heard  of  this, 
and  his  lungs  became  stronger  than  ever.  Racking  both 
his  memory  and  his  imagination  for  songs,  for  weeks  all 
night  long  he  sung,  with  his  plaintive  refrain,  “Charlie  dies 
while  Jack  pulls  on  his  boat.”  A  distinguished  poetess 
traveling  at  the  west  about  this  time,  was  tarrying  at  the 
Lake  House,  and  heard  of  the  incident.  She  wrote  for  a 
New  York  magazine  some  beautiful  lines  appropriate  to 
the  last  words  of  the  child  and  the  circumstances.  These 
were  reproduced  in  our  Chicago  papers,  but  I  have  in  vain 
sought  to  find  them.  Some  of  our  old  scrap-books  un¬ 
doubtedly  contain  them,  and  1  would  like  to  be  the  instru¬ 
ment  of  their  republication. 

Old  Jack  went  to  church  one  Sunday,  and  the  clergyman 
preached  from  the  text,  “Whosoever  shall  be  ashamed  of 
Me  and  My  words,  of  him  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  ashamed 
when  He  shall  come  in  His  own  glory.”  After  church  was 
over,  the  clergyman  took  Jack  to  task  for  making  so  much 
noise,  on  his  ferry-boat,  and  told  him  he  was  going  to  have 
him  removed.  “You  can’t  do  it,”  said  Jack.  “Why  not?” 
said  the  clergyman.  “You?  sermon,  sir,  your  sermon!  You 
said  we  must  make  a  practical  application  of  it.”  “How 
can  you  apply  that  to  your  position?”  “In  this  way,”  said 
Jack;  “the  Mayor  appoints  a  ferryman.  I  will  just  tell 
him,  he  that  is  ashamed  of  me  and  of  my  boat,  of  him  will 
I  be  ashamed  when  I  go  to  the  polls  on  the  day  of  elec¬ 
tion!”  Jack  was  not  removed.  But  he  went  one  fall  to 
the  south  with  the  robins;  but,  unlike  the  robins,  he  returned 
no  more.  He  probably  saw  the  coming  bridge. 

It  was  customary  during  the  winter  to  give  a  series  of 
dancing-parties  at  central  points  between  here  and  the  Fox 
River,  along  the  line  of  some  of  our  main  traveled  roads, 
notices  of  which  were  generally  given  in  the  newspapers. 
We  used  to  have  much  more  snow  than  we  have  now,  and 
large  sleigh-loads  of  people  would  be  fitted  out  from  the 
city,  to  meet  young  people  from  different  parts  of  the 
country.  People  in  the  country  settlements  were  generally 
emigrants  from  the  more  cultivated  portions  of  the  east. 
United  States  Senator  Silas  Wright  once  told  me  that  he 
could  enumerate  a  hundred  families,  the  very  flower  of  the 
agricultural  interest  of  St.  Lawrence  County,  who  had  emi¬ 
grated  to  west  of  Chicago.  These  settlers  were  not  always 
poor;  they  were  often  men  of  large  families  who  came  here 


48  REMINISCENCES  OF  EARI.V  CHICAGO. 


to  obtain  a  large  quantity  of  contiguous  land,  so  as  to  settle 
their  children  around  them.  The  custom  at  these  parties 
was  to  leave  Chicago  about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
take  supper  on  the  way  out.  and  engage  breakfast  for  the 
morning;  and,  after  dancing  all  night,  getting  back  to  the 
city  about  9  or  10  o'clock.  The  hotels  in  the  country  were 
frequently  built  of  logs,  but  whether  of  logs  or  boards,  were 
generally  built  in  one  style.  Cooking-rooms,  bar-room, 
sitting-rooms,  were  below,  and  above  was  one  large  hall, 
which  could  be  used  for  religious  services  on  Sunday,  or 
public  meetings  on  a  weekday,  and,  by  suspending  blankets, 
could  be  divided  into  sleeping-rooms.  Above  was  the  attic, 
which  could  be  used  for  storage  when  the  hall  was  cleared, 
and  also  for  dressing-rooms  at  parties.  Ladies  and  gen¬ 
tlemen  could  more  easily  find  their  wearing  apparel  when 
suspended  from  nails  driven  into  the  beams  of  the  building 
than  the}-  can  now  from  the  small  dressing-rooms  where 
the  clothing  is  in  constant  danger  of  being  mixed  together. 
I  remember  one  of  those  occasions  when  the  country  resi¬ 
dents  had  begun  the  dance  before  those  from  the  city  had 
reached  there.  Country  ladies  were  passing  up  and  down 
the  ladder  to  the  dressing-room.  But  the  city  ladies  would 
not  ascend  the  ladder  until  it  had  been  fenced  around  with 
blankets.  There  were  always  on  these  occasions  mothers 
present  from  the  country,  who  attended  the  young  people 
to  look  after  the  care  of  their  health,  such  as  seeing  that 
they  were  properly  covered  on  their  going  home  from  a 
warm  room,  as  physicians  were  very  scarce  in  the  country, 
and  it  was  a  great  distance  for  many  of  them  to  send  for 
medicines.  These  country  matrons  took  it  much  to  heart 
that  the  young  ladies  from  the  city  were  so  particular  in 
having  the  ladder  fenced  oft’,  and  were  very  free  in  the 
expression  of  their  views  on  the  subject  to  the  elderly 
gentlemen  present.  During  the  evening  a  sleigh-load  was 
driven  up  containing  a  French  danseuse  from  Chicago,  of 
considerable  note  in  those  days;  and  it  was  not  long  after 
she  entered  the  hall  before  the  floor  was  cleared  for  her  to 
have  an  opportunity  to  show  her  agility  as  a  fancy  dancer. 
When  she  began  to  swing  around  upon  one  foot,  with  the 
other  extended,  one  of  these  country  matrons,  with  a  great 
deal  of  indignation,  ran  across  the  hall  to  her  son,  and  said, 
“  I  don't  think  it  is  proper  for  our  young  folks  to  see  any 
such  performance  as  this,  and  now  you  go  right  down  and 
tell  the  landlord  that  we  want  some  more  blankets,’'  and  the 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


49 


boy  started  before  the  last  part  of  the  sentence  was  heard, 
“and  I’ll  have  her  fenced  off  by  herself,  as  the  city  ladies 
did  the  ladder!”  Her  remarks  were  passed  from  one  to 
another,  and  the  company  was  loudly  applauding  them, 
when  the  applause  was  greatly  increased  by  the  entrance 
of  the  landlord  with  some  blankets  under  his  arm.  The 
more  the  applause  increased,  the  more  animated  became 
the  danseuse,  who  took  it  all  for  herself.  The  fancy  dance 
was  finished,  but  the  merriment  had  such  an  effect  that  one 
of  our  city  young  men  took  down  the  blankets  around  the 
ladder,  and  for  the  remainder  of  the  evening  the  exposed 
ladder  and  the  nimble  French  danseuse  ceased  to  attract 
attention. 

I  have  thus  made  you  a  few  selections  from  my  large 
casket  of  reminiscences  of  the  amusements  of  early  Chicago. 
But  I  give  them  as  a  mere  appendix  to  my  historical  lec¬ 
ture,  and  do  not  wish  them  considered  as  any  part  of  it, 
as  I  could  have  ended  without  them,  and  then  have  given 
you  a  lecture  of  ordinary  length.  If  anyone  thinks  them 
inappropriate  to  this  occasion,  I  wish  to  say  that  I  respect¬ 
fully  concur  in  his  views.  If,  however,  they  have  served 
to  compensate  any  of  you  for  the  tedium  of  the  more 
historical  portion  of  it,  I  will  waive  the  question  of  their 
appropriateness,  and  express  my  gratification  at  having 
given  them. 


SUPPLEMENTAL  NOTES. 


After  Mr.  Wentworth’s  Lecture  had  been  published 
in  the  newspapers,  he  received  the  following  information : 

FROM  FULTON  COUNT\ . 

The  County  Commissioners’  Court  met,  for  the  first  time,  3  June, 
1823.  July  5,  1823,  John  Kinzie  was  recommended  for  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  at  Chicago.  Sept.  2,  1823,  Ordered  that  an  election  be  held 
at  John  Kinzie’s  house,  for  one  major  and  company  officers  in  17th 
Regiment  of  Illinois  Militia;  John  Kinzie,  Alexander  Wolcott,  and 
John  Plamlin  to  conduct  said  election,  upon  the  last  Saturday  in  Sep¬ 
tember  instant. 

June  3,  1823,  Ordered  by  the  Court,  that  Amherst  C.  Rausam  be 
recommended  to  fill  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  vice  Samuel 
Fulton,  resigned.  He  qualified  before  the  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court 
of  Fulton  Co.,  July  2,  1823. 

If  .  he  resided  at  Chicago,  he  robs  John  Kinzie  of  the  honor  of  being 
our  first  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

July  5,  1823,  Ordered  that  the  Treasurer  pay  to  A.  C.  Rausam 
the  sum  of  four  dollars,  for  taking  a  list  of  the  taxable  property  at 
Chicago,  in  said  County,  and  collecting  the  same,  so  soon  as  he  (the 
said  Rausam)  shall  pay  the  same  over  to  the  County  Treasurer,  in 
such  money  as  he  received. 

Sept.  3,  1823,  Ordered  that  Amherst  C.  Rouseur  [ Rausam?]  hand 
over  to  County  Treasurer  amount  of  tax  received  and  collected  at 
Chicago,  in  same  kind  of  money  he  received. 

April  27,  1824,  Sheriff  Eads  released  from  paying  money-tax  col¬ 
lected  at  Chicago  by  Rousseur  [Rausam?] 

It  is  so  hard  to  decypher  these  French  names  in  American  manu¬ 
scripts  that  this  name  may  not  be  the  correct  one.  There  was  a 
Eustache  Roussain  and  also  a  Captain  Ransom  in  the  employ  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  in  this  region,  in  1821. 

It  may  be  that  he  was  not  a  defaulter,  but  collected  his  taxes  in 
furs,  local  money,  etc.,  and  refused  to  give  them  up  until  he  received 
his  four  dollars  in  cash. 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


51 


The  same  name  appears  as  grand  juror,  October,  1823. 

Among  the  grand  jurors,  in  October,  1823  and  April,  1824,  were 
Elijah  Wentworth,  Sr.  In  Sept.,  1824,  Hiram,  son  of  Elijah  Went¬ 
worth,  Sr.,  was  added.  In  March  and  Sept. .  1824,  Elijah  Wentworth, 
Jr.  (our  first  Coroner),  and  John  Holcomb  (who  married  his  sister), 
were  upon  the  petit  jury.  The  Wentworths  were  then  living  in  what 
is  now  Fulton  Co.  Whence  they  removed  to  Dodgeville,  Wisconsin, 
and  did  not  come  to  Chicago  until  1830. 


CHICAGO  MARRIAGES  RECORDED  IN  FULTON  CO. 

By  John  Hamlin,  J.P.,  July  20,  1823,  Alexander  Wolcott  and 
Ellen  M.  Kinzie. 

By  same,  October  3rd,  1823,  John  Ferrel  and  Ann  Griffin. 

[The  Clerk  sends  this  as  a  Chicago  marriage;  but  I  can  learn  noth¬ 
ing  of  the  parties.] 

It  is  claimed  that  the  marriage  of  Dr.  Wolcott,  Indian  agent  here, 
in  1823,  was  the  first  in  Chicago.  He  died  in  1830,  voting  on  the  24th 
July,  of  that  year.  His  widow,  daughter  of  John  Kinzie,  married 
George  C.  Bates,  of  Detroit,  Mich.  He  is  now  living  in  Salt  Lake 
City.  Col.  Thomas  Owens  was  afterwards  Indian  agent,  and  may 
have  succeeded  him.  Charles  Jewett,  of  Kentucky,  was  Dr.  Wolcott’s 
predecessor,  and  our  first  Indian  agent. 

John  Hamlin  died  at  Peoria,  in  April  of  this  year.  A  writer  in  the 
Peoria  Transcript  says,  that  in  1823,  he  accompanied  William  S. 
Hamilton  to  Green  Bay,  where  he  had  a  contract  to  supply  Fort 
Howard  with  beef,  and  he  arrived  there  July  2d,  1823.  On  his  way 
back,  Mr.  Hamlin  performed  the  marriage  ceremony.  Whilst  here, 
he  made  an  engagement  with  John  Crafts  to  enter  the  service  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  which  frequently  brought  him  to  Chicago. 


NOTES  UPON  THE  TAX  PAYERS  OF  1825. 

1.  Gen.  John  B.  Beaubien  was  living  at  Macinac  when  the  Fort 
there  was  surrendered  to  the  British,  in  1812.  He  married  a  sister 
of  the  Indian  Chief,  Joseph  Laframboise,  was  brought  here  in  1819, 
by  the  American  Fur  Company  to  oppose  Mr.  Crafts,  had  several 
children  (some  of  whom  now  live  here),  was  one  of  the  principal  men 
in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Co.,  and  his  last  wife  with  several 
of  his  children  was  upon  the  platform  at  the  delivery  of  this  lecture. 
I  attended  the  marriage  of  his  daughter,  in  early  days,  to  N.  I). 
Woodville. 

2.  Jonas  Clybourne  came  from  Pearisburgh,  Giles  Co.,  Virginia,  with 


52 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


sons  Archibald  and  Henley.  Archibald  came  in  1823  and  went  back 
to  Virginia  for  his  father’s  family.  His  widow,  who  was  a  Miss  Gallo¬ 
way,  from  the  region  now  known  as  Marseilles,  LaSalle  Co.,  Illinois, 
was  on  the  platform  at  the  delivery  of  this  lecture,  and  has  several  chil¬ 
dren.  Henley  Clybourne  married  Sarah  Benedict,  and  has  two  sons 
living  at  Fort  Scott,  Kansas.  Archibald  Clybourne  was  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  1831. 

3.  John  K.  Clark,  was  half  brother  to  Archibald  Clybourne,  and 
married  Permelia,  daughter  of  Stephen  J.  Scott,  who  now  lives,  his 
widow,  at  Deerfield,  Lake  Co.,  Ill.,  with  her  daughter.  There  was 
no  son  to  live  to  have  children. 

4.  John  Crafts  was  a  trader  sent  here  by  Mr.  Conant,  of  Detroit,  and 
had  a  trading  house  at  Hardscrabble,  near  Bridgeport,  and  monopo¬ 
lized  the  trade  until  the  American  Fur  Company  sent  John  B.  Beaubien 
here  in  1819.  In  1822,  Mr.  Crafts  went  into  the  employment  of  the 
Fur  Company  as  superintendant,  Mr.  Beaubien  being  under  him.  He 
died  here  single  in  1823,  at  Mr.  Kinzie’s  house,  and  he  succeeded  him. 
Prior  to  this,  Mr.  Kinzie  was  a  silver-smith  and  made  trinkets  for  the 
Indians. 

5.  Jeremie  Claremont  was  employed  by  the  American  Fur  Com¬ 
pany  in  1821,  for  the  trade  of  the  Iroquois  River. 

8  &  9.  Claude  and  Joseph  Laframboise  were  brothers.  The  widow 
of  the  latter  was  living,  at  last  dates,  with  her  son-in-law,  Medard  B. 
Beaubien,  at  Silver  Lake,  Shawnee  Co.,  Kansas. 

11.  Peter  Piche,  is  believed  to  have  been  the  one  who  lived  at 
Piche’s  Grove,  near  Oswego,  Illinois,  alluded  to  by  Mrs.  Kinzie  in  her 
“Waubun.” 

14.  Antoine  Oilmette  is  the  person  spoken  of  in  Mrs.  Kinzie’s  book, 
“Waubun/’  His  daughter  Elizabeth,  married  Jan.  23,  1827,  our  first 
Irishman,  Michael  Welch. 


NOTES  UPON  THE  VOTERS  OF  1826. 

1.  Augustine  Banny,  said  to  have  been  a  travelling  cattle  dealer, 
supplying  Forts. 

2.  Henry  Kelly,  had  no  family  here,  worked  for  Samuel  Miller. 

4.  Cole  Weeks,  American,  was  a  discharged  soldier,  had  no  family, 

worked  for  John  Kinzie.  He  married  the  divorced  wife  of  - 

Caldwell,  brother  of  the  first  wife  of  Willis  Scott.  Caldwell  had  a 
fondness  for  Indian  hunting  and  trading,  and  is  supposed  to  have  gone 
off  and  diad  with  them.  A  man,  answering  his  description,  by  the 
name  of  Caldwell,  was  living,  not  long  since,  at  Kershena,  Shawanaw 
Co.,  Wisconsin.  Caldwell’s  wife,  who  married  Cole  Weeks,  was  sister 
to  Benjamin  Hall,  of  Wheaton,  DuPage  Co.,  Ill.,  and  Caldwell  was 
cousin  to  Archibald  Clybourne,  and  came  from  the  same  place  in  Vir¬ 
ginia.  - 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


53 


14.  Francis  Laducier,  had  no  family,  died  at  Archibald  Clybourne’s. 

21.  Joseph  Pothier,  married  Victor  Miranda,  a  half  breed,  was 
brought  up  in  John  Kinzie’s  family,  was  living  recently  at  Milwaukee. 

24.  David  McKee,  lives  at  Aurora,  Kane  Co.,  Ill.,  and  married  23 
January,  1827,  Wealthy,  daughter  of  Stephen  J.  Scott.  He  was  born 
on  Hog  Creek,  Pewtown,  Loudoun  Co.,  Virginia,  in  1800. 

25.  Joseph  Anderson,  had  no  family. 

31.  Martin  VanSicle,  was  living  recently  near  Aurora,  Ill.  He  had 
a  daughter,  Almira.  Willis  Scott  remembers  going  to  Peoria  for  a 
marriage  license  for  her. 

34.  Edward  Ament,  was  living  recently  not  far  from  Chicago;  some 
say  in  Kankakee  Co.,  Ill. 

The  most  of  those  having  French  names  were  employes  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  or  hunted  and  traded  on  their  own  respon¬ 
sibility ;  and,  when  Chicago  was  abandoned  as  a  Fur  Trading  Post, 
they  moved  further  into  the  frontier  country,  in  pursuit  of  their 
business. 


NOTES  UPON  THE  VOTERS  OF  1830. 

1.  Stephen  J.  Scott  was  born  in  Connecticut,  moved  to  Chicago 
from  Bennington,  Wyoming  Co.,  N.Y.,  lived  many  years  at  Naper¬ 
ville,  Ill.,  and  died  there,  where  his  son  Williard  now  lives.  His  son 
Willis  now  lives  in  Chicago,  and  was  upon  the  platform  when  this 
lecture  was  delivered.  Several  of  his  daughters  are  mentioned  in  these 
notes. 

4.  Barney  H.  Laughton,  lived  in  his  last  days  near  what  is  now 
Riverside,  on  the  O’Plaine  River,  and  his  wife  was  sister  to  the  wife  of 
onr  first  Sheriff,  Stephen  Forbes. 

5.  Jesse  Walker,  was  a  Methodist  preacher,  finally  settled  at  Wal¬ 
ker’s  Grove,  now  Plainfield,  in  this  State. 

8.  James  Kinzie,  was  natural  son  of  John  Kinzie.  His  mother  and 
Archibald  Clybourne’s  mother  were  sisters.  His  first  wife  was  Rev. 
William  See’s  daughter.  He  died  at  Racine,  Wis.,  where  his  second 
wife  is  said  to  be  now  living.  His  own  sister  Elizabeth  Kinzie  married 
Samuel  Miller,  the  hotel  keeper. 

9.  Russell  E.  Heacock,  died  at  Summit,  Cook  Co.,  Ill.,  in  1849, 
and  he  has  sons  in  this  vicinity. 

12.  John  L.  Davis,  said  to  have  been  an  Englishman,  and  a  tailor. 

17.  Stephen  Mack,  son  of  Major  Mack  of  Detroit,  married  an  Ind¬ 
ian,  was  clerk  in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  and 
finally  settled  in  Pickatonica,  Winnebago  Co.,  in  this  State. 

18.  Jonathan  A.  Bailey,  was  father-in-law  to  the  Post  Master,  John 
S.  C.  Hogan.  Mr.  Hogan  held  the  office  until  1837,  when  Sidney 
Abell  was  appointed.  Mr.  Hogan  died  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  in  1866. 


54 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


Mr.  Bailey  was  Postmaster  before  Hogan. 

19.  Alexander  Me,  is  written  plain  enough;  but  whether  the  last 
part  is  Dollo,  Dole,  Donell,  Dowtard,  etc.,  it  is  difficult  to  tell,  as  it  is 
written  so  differently  in  different  places. 

27  &  28.  John  Baptiste  Secor  and  Joseph  Bauskey,  died  of  cholera 
in  1832.  Bauskey  married  a  daughter  of  Stephen  J.  Scott. 

32.  Peresh  LeClerc,  was  an  Indian  interpreter,  brought  up  by  John 
Kinzie. 


MORE  RETURNS  FROM  PEORIA  COUNTV. 

The  Clerk  of  Peoria  Co.  has  sent  me  the  following,  which  are  not 
alluded  to  in  the  lecture  : 


SPECIAL  FLECTION 

For  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Constable,  at  the  house  of  James  Kinzie, 
in  the  Chicago  Precinct  of  Peoria  County,  State  of  Illinois,  on 
Saturday,  24th  day  of  July,  1830. 

Total,  John  S.  C.  Hogan,  for  Justice  of  the  Peace,  33  votes,  Archi¬ 
bald  Clybourne,  22  votes,  Russell  Rose,  1  vote.  Total,  56. 

For  Constable,  Horatio  G.  Smith,  32  votes,  Russell  Rose,  21  votes, 
John  S.  C.  Hogan,  1  vote.  Total,  54. 


1  James  Kinzie. 

2  Jean  Baptiste  Beaubien  1825,  ’26 

3  Alexander  Wolcott.  1825 

4  Augustin  Bannot.  [Banny?]  1826 

5  Medard  B.  Beaubien. 

6  Billy  Caldwell.  1826 

7  Joseph  Laframboise.  1825,  1826 

8  John  Mann. 

9  John  Wellmaker. 

10  Stephen  J.  fecott. 

1 1  Thomas  Ayers. 

12  Russell  Rose. 

13  Lewis  Ganday  or  Louis  Gauday. 

14  Michael  Welch. 

15  William  P.  Jewett. 

16  John  VanHorn. 

17  Gabriel  Acay. 

18  Joseph  Papan. 

19  Williard  Scott. 

20  Peter  Wycoflf. 

2t  Stephen  Mack. 

22  James  Galloway,  [father  of  Mrs. 

Archibald  Clybourne.] 

23  David  VanStow.  [VanEaton?] 

24  James  Brown. 

25  Samuel  Littleton. 

26  Jean  Baptiste  Laducier. 

27  Joseph  Thibeaut. 

28  Lewis  Blow. 


29  Jean  Baptist  Secor.  1826 

30  Mark  Beaubien. 

31  Peresh  Laclerc. 

32  Matthias  Smith. 

33  James  Garow. 

34  Alexander  Robinson.  1825,  1826 

35  Samuel  Miller.  [Landlord.] 

36  Jonas  Clybourne.  1825,  1826 

37  John  Joyal. 

38  Peter  Frique. 

39  Jean  Bapt.  Tombien.  [Toubien?] 

40  John  L.  Davis. 

41  Simon  Debigie. 

42  A.  Foster. 

43  George  P,  Wentworth. 

44  Alex.  McDowtard.  [McDole?] 

45  Jonathan  A.  Bailey. 

46  David  M’Kee.  1825,  1826 

47  Joseph  Pothier.  1826 

48  Henry  Kelly.  1826 

49  Antoine  Ouilmette.  1825,  1826 

50  David  Hunter.  [General.] 

51  James  Engle. 

52  John  K.  Clark.  1825,  1826 

53  Russell  E.  Heacock. 

54  Leon  Bourassea. 

55  Archibald  Clybourne.  1826 

56  Horatio  G.  Smith. 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


55 


John  S.  C.  Hogan,  the  successful  candidate  for  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
did  not  vote.  Archibald  Clybourne  voted  (for  Justice)  for  Russell 
Rose,  who  was  the  candidate  for  Constable,  voted  for  John  S.  C. 
Hogan,  for  the  office  of  Constable. 

But  the  two  candidates  for  Constable  came  squarely  up  to  the  mark, 
and  voted  for  each  other. 

Mr.  Hogan  was  Postmaster  in  Chicago  prior  to  the  election  of 
Martin  VanBuren  as  President,  who  appointed  Sidney  Abell  to  suc¬ 
ceed  him.  He  built  the  first  frame  house  on  the  South  Side.  It  was 
near  the  north-west  corner  of  Lake  and  Franklin  streets. 

The  judges  of  this  election  were  Alexander  Wolcott,  John  B.  Beau- 
bien,  and  James  Kinzie.  The  clerks  were  Medard  B.  Beaubien  and 
Billy  Caldwell,  the  Sauganash. 

19  Williard  Scott  was  a  son  of  Stephen  J.  Scott;  and  now  lives  at 
Naperville,  Ill. 

42  There  was  a  Lieut.  - —  Foster  here  about  that  time. 

50  General  Hunter,  U.  S.  Army,  married  Maria  H.  Kinzie,  born 
1807,  the  only  child  of  John  Kinzie,  now  living. 

51  There  was  a  Lieut.  - Engle  stationed  here  about  that  time. 


SPECIAL  ELECTION 


.  For  Justice  of  the  Peace,  at  the  house  of  James  Kinzie,  Chicago  Pre¬ 
cinct,  Peoria  County,  State  of  Illinois,  on  Thursday,  the  25th  day  of 
November,  1830. 


14  Matthias  Smith. 

15  David  McKee. 

16  William  Jewett. 

1 7  Horace/  Miner. 

18  Samuel  Miller. 

19  Stephen  Forbes. 

20  William  See. 

21  Peter  Muller. 

22  Jonas  Clybourne. 

23  John  B.  Bradain. 

24  John  Shedaker. 

25  Peter  Frique. 

26  John  K.  Clark. 


1  Archibald  Clybourne. 

2  James  Kinzie. 

3  John  Wellmaker. 

4  John  Mann. 

5  Russell  E.  Heacock. 

6  Peter  Wycoff. 

7  Billy  Caldwell. 

8  Jesse  Walker. 

9  Enoch  Thompson. 

10  Medard  B.  Beaubien. 

11  David  VanEaton. 

12  John  B.  Beaubien. 

13  Stephen  J.  Scott. 


Total,  Stephen  Forbes,  18.  William  See,  8. 

Mr.  Forbes  was  the  first  Sheriff  of  Cook  Co.,  and  married  a  sister  to 
the  wife  of  Barney  H.  Laughton.  William  See  is  mentioned  in  Mrs. 
Kinzie’s  “Waubun,”  and  was  a  Methodist  preacher. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Forbes  taught  school  here  in  1831. 

In  this  contest,  each  candidate  voted  for  his  opponent. 

The  judges  at  this  election  were  James  Kinzie,  John  B.  Beaubien, 
and  Archibald  Clybourne.  The  clerks  were  Russell  E.  Heacock  and 
Stephen  J.  Scott. 

6  Peter  Wycoff,  was  a  discharged  soldier,  and  worked  for  Archibald 
Clybourne. 

9  There  was  a  Lieut. - Thompson  stationed  here  about  that  time. 


56 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


CHICAGO  MARRIAGES,  RECORDED  IN  PEORIA  CO. 

By  John  Kinzie.  24  April,  1826.  Daniel  Bourassea  and  Theotis 
Aruwaiskie. 

By  Tohn  Kinzie.  29  July,  1826.  Samuel  Miller  and  Elizabeth  Kin¬ 
zie.  [Mr.  Miller  kept  a  hotel  on  the  North  Side,  near  the  forks,  and 
near  where  Kinzie  street  crosses  the  River.  He  moved  to  Michigan 
City,  and  died  there.  His  wife  was  full  sister  to  James  Kinzie,  and 
natural  daughter  of  John  Kinzie.  Her  mother  was  sister  to  Archibald 
Clybourne’s  mother.] 

By  John  Kinzie.  28  September,  1826.  Alexander  Robinson  and 
Catherine  Chevalier.  [Che-che-pin-gua  died  on  his  reservation  on  the 
O'Plaine  River,  in  this  county,  where  his  daughter  now  lives;  his  wife 
and  sons  being  dead.] 

By  John  B.  Beaubien.  5  May,  1828.  Joseph  Bauskey  and  Widow 
Deborah  (Scott)  Watkins.  [He  died  of  cholera  in  1832.  His  wife 
was  daughter  of  Stephen  J.  Scott.] 

By  John  B.  Beaubien.  15  April,  1830.  Samuel  Watkins  and  Mary 
Ann  Smith. 

By  John  B.  Beaubien.  11  May,  1830.  Michael  Welch  and  Eliza¬ 
beth  Ouilmette.  [He  was  our  first  Irishman,  and  his  wife  was  daughter 
of  Antoine  Ouilmette,  of  Ouilmette’s  Reservation,  in  this  Co.  ] 

By  John  B.  Beaubien.  18  May,  1830.  Alvin  Noyes  Gardner  and 
Julia  Haley.  [He  moved  to  Blue  Island.] 

By  Rev.  William  See.  3  August,  1830.  John  Mann  and  Arkash 
Sambli. 

By  Rev.  William  See.  1  November,  1830.  Willis  Scott  and  widow 
Lovisa  B.  Caldwell.  [They  have  been  heretofore  alluded  to.] 

By  Rev.  William  $ee.  7  November,  1830.  B.  H.  Laughton  and 
Sophia  Bates.  [They  have  been  heretofore  alluded  to.] 


GOV.  FORD’S  HOUSE. 

Hon.  Jas.  V.  Gale,  an  old  settler  of  Oregon,  Ogle  Co.,  Ill.,  writes 
me:  “that  the  house  from  which  Thomas  Ford  was  elected  Governor, 
was  one  storied,  16  or  18  by  38,  had  a  parlor,  dining-room,  and  two 
bedrooms,  with  a  small  cooking  room  attached.  It  has  been  taken 
down  some  years.  He  settled  here  as  early  as  1836,  and  made  a  claim 
south  of  that  of  John  Phelps.  He  sold  it  to  John  Fridley,  who  now 
owns  it ;  and  the  same  log  cabin,  which  Judge  Ford  erected  and  occu¬ 
pied  until  he  built  his  frame  house,  still  stands.  It  is  18  feet  square 
and  1 1  logs  high.  He  was  a  man  of  small  stature,  careless  in  his  dress, 
of  good  talents,  put  on  no  airs,  popular  with  all,  a  good"  neighbor,  able 
lawyer,  congenial  and  sociable.  ” 


T-^T'^r-^w-'r—v-v—T—r  V  T  T'T  T  T  V  T  -V  T  ▼  'T.'T-'ir  T  T  T  T  T 


FIRST  LFCTURF. 


•By  Hon.  J  OIL ~N  W'ENTWQRTH. 


EARLY  CHICAGO 


A  LECTURE, 


DELIVERED  BEFORE 

THE  SUNDAY  LECTURE  SOCIETY, 

AT  McCORMICK  HALL , 

On  Sunday  Afternoon,  May  7TH,  1876, 


BY 


Hon.  John  Wentworth , 

LATE  EDITOR,  PUBLISHER  AND  PROPRIETOR  OF  THE  “CHICAGO 
DEMOCRAT,”  THE  FIRST  CORPORATION  NEWSPAPER; 

MEMBER  OF  CONGRESS  FOR  THE  CHICAGO 
DISTRICT  FOR  TWELVE  YEARS  ;  TWO  TERMS  MAYOR  ; 

AND  A  SETTLER  OF  1S36. 


CHICAGO: 

FERGUS  PRINTING  COMPANY, 

244-S  ILLINOIS'  STREET. 

1  S  7  6. 


EARLY  CHICAGO. 


One  year  ago,  I  gave  a  lecture  at  this  place,  as  I  then 
stated  to  you,  “with  a  view  of  exciting  among  our  people 
a  spirit  of  historical  research  which  would  result  in  recov¬ 
ering  lost '  newspapers  and  documents,  and  placing  upon 
record  the  experiences  of  our  early  settlers.”  I  had  no 
ambition  to  figure  as  a  lecturer,  or  as  a  historian.  I  waited 
until  the  regular  lecture  course  was  finished.  The  pro¬ 
ceeds  were  given  with  pleasure  to  the  Committee  for  the 
employment  of  men  more  at  home  in  the  lecture  field,  as 
the  proceeds  of  this  lecture  will  be, — such  men  as  pass  six 
njonjts  in  preparing  one,  two,  or  three  lectures,  and  pass 
the  next  six  months  in  delivering  them.  As  this  is  their 
sole  means  of  living,  it  is  right  that  they  should  be  well 
paid  for  them;  and  it  is  one  of  the  noble  objects  of  this 
Association  to  furnish  you,  at  an  hour  when  you  have  no 
worldly  pursuits  nor  religious  entertainments,  for  ten  .cents, 
what  other  people  on  a  week-day  pa)-  from  fifty  cents  to 
a  dollar  for. 

I  can  think  of  no  other  object  that  would  have  brought 
me  before  you  with  a  written  lecture.  I  felt  that  the  duty 
peculiarly  devolved  upon  me,  and  I  performed'  it  with 
pleasure.  There  are  scarcely  half  a  dozen  persons,  habit¬ 
uated  to  public  speaking,  who  were  here  before  the  city 
was  incorporated.  I  was  sole  conductor  of  a  public  press 
for  twenty-five  years  lacking  a  few  months.  It  seemed 
proper  that  I  should  lead  off  in  this  important  matter. 

The  Chicago  Democrat  was  commenced  on  the  26th  of 
November,  1833,  by  the  late  John  Calhoun,  whose  widow 
now  resides  in  this  city.  Augustine  D.  Taylor,  now  living- 
in  this  city,  saw  the  press  landed;  and  Walter  Kimball, 
now  living  in  this  city,  was  a  visitor  in  the  office,  and  saw 
the  first  number  printed.  That  paper  fell  into  my  hands 
in  November,  1836,  and  contained  not  only  a  history  of 
current  events,  but  also  a  vast  amount  of  information 
touching  the  early  history  of  the  entire  Northwest.  It  is  a 


4 


REMINISCENCES  OK  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


sad  reflection  that  the  same  fire  which  swept  away  my  files, 
also  swept  away  those  of  everyone  else,  and  all  our  public 
records.  But  there  are  copies  of  the  Chicago  Democrat 
scattered  all  over  the  Northwest,  as  well  as  of  other  papers 
and  documents  that  will  be  of  service  in  restoring  our  lost 
history.  No  person  should  destroy  any  papers  or  docu¬ 
ments  of  a  date  prior  to  the  fire.  If  there  is  no  one  who 
wants  them,  let  them  be  sent  to  me,  and  1  will  take  care 
of  them  until  our  Chicago  Historical  Society  becomes 
reorganized.  Our  old  settlers  are  fast  passing  away. 
Some  of  the  few  remaining  have  very  retentive  memories. 
Let  them  not  be  discouraged  because  they  do  not  remem¬ 
ber  dates.  It  is  events  that  we  want;  and  by  comparing 
them  with  other  events,  the  dates  of  which  we  know,  we 
can  in  time  obtain  the  exact  dates  of  all  of  them.  While 
so  many  of  our  old  settlers  have  passed  away,  there  yet 
may  be  remaining  among  their  effects  old  papers  whose 
value  their  legal  representatives  do  not  appreciate.  Many- 
old  packages  have  been  given  to  me,  with  the  remark  that 
they  did  not  see  of  what  use  they  could  be  to  me.  One 
widow  sent  me  some  pieces  of  newspapers,  which  the 
mice  had  kindly  spared,  with  the  remark  that  she  was 
ashamed  to  be  sending  such  old  trash  to  any  one ;  but  from 
them  tacts  enough  were  gathered  to  save  another  widow 
from  being  swindled  out  of  her  homestead.  When  1  lec¬ 
tured  before,  it  was  a  matter  of  dispute  what  was  the  name 
of  the  first  steamboat  that  ever  came  to  Chicago,  and  who 
was  the  person  in  command.  She  came  to  bring  the 
troops  for  the  Black  Hawk  War  in  183a,  and  brought  the 
cholera  with  them.  All  that  was  known  for  a  certainty 
was  the  place  where  they  dug  the  pit  into  which  they  most 
unceremoniously  plunged  the  dead  bodies.  That  was 
remembered  because  it  was  the  site  of  the  old  American 
Temperance  House,  northwest  corner  of  Inke  street  and 
Wabash  avenue;  and  many  old  settlers  remembered  that 
from  the  fact  that  they  always  passed  by  the  Temperance 
House  on  the  other  side,  and  so  could  read  the  sign.  The 
river  and  lake  water,  which  we  had  to  drink  in  those  days, 
was  considered  unhealthy.  I  made  a  statement  as  to  the 
name  of  that  boat,  based  upon  what  I  considered  the  best 
authority.  But  when  I  had  finished,  a  gentleman  came 
upon  the  stage  and  gave  me  another  name,  claiming  that 
he  helped  fit  out  the  very  vessel  at  Cleveland,  and  I 
changed  my  manuscript  to  correspond.  But  some  of  the 
reporters  published  the  statement  as  1  delivered  it,  and 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


5 


thus  two  statements  were  before  the  public  as  given  by  me. 
Thus  different  persons,  anxious  to  assist  me  in  reestablish¬ 
ing  the  landmarks  of  history,  had  an  opportunity,  by  quot¬ 
ing  the  one  statement  to  provoke  discussion  by  insisting 
that  the  other  statement  was  true,  when  they  really  did  not 
know  any  more  about  the  matter  than  I  did,  and  had  per¬ 
haps  consulted  only  one  authority,  when  I  had  previously 
consulted  many.  But  a  lady,  in  looking  over  her  old 
papers,  found,  where  she  least  expected  it,  a  Chicago  Dem¬ 
ocrat  dated  March  14,  1861,  containing  a  letter  from  Capt. 
A.  Walker,  giving  a  history  of  the  whole  expedition,  show¬ 
ing  that  both  statements  were  correct.  The  United  States 
Government  chartered  four  steamers  to  bring  troops  and 
supplies  to  Chicago,  and  their  names  were  the  Superior, 
Henry  Clay,  William  Penn,  and  Sheldon  Thompson;  but 
the  Superior  and  Henry  Clay  were  sent  back  when  the 
cholera  broke  out  on  board.  Capt.  Walker  says,  that  when 
he  arrived  at  Chicago,  in  July,  1832,  there  were  but  five 
dwelling-houses  here,  three  of  which  were  made  of  logs. 
There  are  other  old  newspapers  yet  to  be  found  settling 
questions  equally  as  interesting. 

All  must  admit,  that  there  has  been  more  said  about  the 
history  of  Chicago,  and  more  important  publications  made, 
the  past  year  than  ever  before.  Booksellers  inform  me 
that  they  have  had  within  the  past  year,  a  greater  demand 
than  in  all  time  before  for  all  works  appertaining  to  the 
history  of  the  Northwest,  and  that  they  have  had,  all  the 
while,  standing  orders  for  such  works  as  are  out  of  print. 
And  it  is  to  encourage  a  still  further  research  that  I  address 
you  to-day.  And,  if  the  result  of  this  year’s  researches  is 
not  satisfactory,  I  shall  feel  myself  in  duty  bound  to  ad¬ 
dress  you  again  in  a  year  from-  this  time.  Many  aged 
settlers  have  thanked  me  for  bringing  them  into  a  higher 
appreciation.  One  octogenarian  lady  informs  me  that, 
for  the  past  fifteen  years,  when  any  young  company  came 
to  the  house,  she  was  expected  to  leave  the  room.  After 
my  lecture,  she  said  she  saw  a  gentleman  approaching  the 
house,  and  she  left  the  room  as  usual.  But  soon  her 
granddaughter  came  out  and  said,  “It  is  you  he  wants.” 
And  this  was  the  first  gentleman  caller  she  had  had  for 
fifteen  years.  When  she  entered  the  room>  and  he  told 
her  he  wanted  to  inquire  about  early  Chicago,  she  felt  as 
if  her  youth  had  come  again,  and  she  told  the  others  that 
it  was  their  time  to  leave  the  room.  She  said,  “He  has 
been  to  see  me  six  times,  and  has  printed  nearly  all  I  said. 


6 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


and  there  is  not  another  member  of  our  large  family  who 
has  ever  said  a  word  that  was  thought  of  sufficient  impor¬ 
tance  to  be  printed;  and  now  I  am  thinking  over  what  I 
know  about  early  Chicago,  and  letting  the  newspapers  have 
it."  She  observed  with  great  force  that  the  young  folks  were 
constantly  asking  her  how  she  used  to  get  along  amid  early 
privations,  and  she  insisted  that,  if  I  ever  lectured  again,  I 
should  assert  that  the  early'  settlers  of  Chicago  were  the 
happiest  people  in  the  world,  as  1  believe  they  were.  But 
a  strict  regard  for  the  real  historical  purposes  of  this  lec¬ 
ture  will  permit  me  to  allude  only  incidentally  to  our  early 
sources  of  entertainment. 

We  are  apt  to  speak  of  Chicago  as  a  new  city'.  But  it  is 
not  so,  compared  with  the  great  mass  of  other  cities  in  the 
United  States.  Take  out  Detroit,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis, 
and  New  Orleans,  and  what  is  there  older,  in  the  date  of 
-its  incorporation,  in  the  West,  extending  to  the  Pacific  ? 
But  when  our  city'  was  organized  we  had  no  Pacific  posses¬ 
sions,  save  Oregon  Territory,  which  we  then  owned  in  com¬ 
mon  with  Great  Britain.  The  future  historian  of  America 
will  not,  however,  take  into  consideration  the  date  of  our 
incorporation.  The  ancient  Romans  were  in  the  habit  of 
dating  events  from  the  foundation  of  their  city'.  But  “  Urbs 
condita”  or  “  Chicago  condita”  will  never  be  a  reckoning 
point  in  our  city’s  history.  Even  in  this  assembly,  there  are 
not  as  many  who -know  in  what  year  our  city  was  incor¬ 
porated  as  in  one  of  our  public  schools  there  are  children 
who  can  spell  Melchisedec.  notwithstanding  modern  politic¬ 
ians  have  kicked  from  the  public  schools  the  Book  that 
contained  the  eighth  commandment. 

From  'Washington's  inauguration,  in  17S9,  to  Chicago's 
first  Mayor's  inauguration,  in  1837,  we  have  but  forty-eight 
years,  a  period  of  time  that  the  future  historian  of  America, 
when  speaking  of  Chicago,  will  not  notice.  But  a  resident 
of  Chicago  was  not  elected  to  Congress  until  1843,  and 
yet  he  became  associated  not  only  with  men  prominent 
under  every  Administration  of  the  United  States  Govern¬ 
ment,  and  many  of  them  born  before  the  inauguration  of 
Washington,  but  with  some  born  even  before  the  Declara¬ 
tion  of  Independence,  and  two,  at  least,  before  the  tea  was 
thrown  overboard  in  Boston  harbor.  John  Quincy  .Adams 
was  born  in  1767,  and  he  was  accustomed  to  tell  us  that 
among  his  earliest  recollections  was  that  of  hearing  the  re¬ 
port  of  the  guns  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Benjamin 
Tappan,  Senator  from  Ohio,  was  born  in  1773.  Then -there 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


7 


was  Henry  Clay,  Secretary  of  State  while  John  Quincy 
Adams  was  President,  United  States  Senator  as  early  as 
1806,  Speaker  of  the  House  in  1811,  bom  in  1777,  nine 
months  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  one 
who  could  collect  a  larger  crowd  and  disperse  it  quicker 
and  in  better  humor  than  any  other  man  who  ever  lived  in 
America.  I  shall  never  forget  my  last  interview  with 
Henry  Clay,  and  its  description  is  appropriate  to  the  his¬ 
tory  of  Chicago.  Our  harbor  was  suffering  for  appropria¬ 
tions.  President  Polk  had  vetoed  them  all.  A  change  of 
dynasties  had  been  effected.  Millard  Fillmore  was  the 
acting  President,  and  he  was  a  warm  friend  of  our  harbor. 
It  was  in  the  spring  of  1851.  The  Harbor  bill  had  passed 
the  House,  and  was  sent  to  the  Senate  at  a  late  day,  and 
the  controlling  spirits  had  managed  to  keep  it  back  until  a 
still  later  day.  The  Southern  Senators,  under  the  lead  of 
Jefferson  Davis,  spoke  against  time,  declaring  the  bill 
unconstitutional.  Clay  did  all  that  man  could  do  for  us, 
but  in  vain.  Our  bill  was  talked  to  death.  Clay  came  on 
with  us  to  New  York  City,  to  take  a  steamer  for  New 
Orleans.  As  the  vessel  was  about  to  sail,  we  went  on 
board  to  take  our  leave  of  him,  and  we  all  expressed  a  hope 
that  the  next  time  he  returned  home  he  would  go  around 
by  the  lakes.  He  replied,  “  I  never  go  where  the  Consti¬ 
tution  does  not  go.  Hence  I  must  travel  by  salt  water. 
Make  your  lakes  Constitutional.  Keep  up  the  war  until 
your  lake  harbors  get  their  deserved  appropriations,  and 
then  I  will  come  out  and  see  you.’'’  We  finally  got  the 
Constitution  out  here,  but  not  until  after  Henry  Clay  had 
paid  the  debt  of  nature. 

Then  there  was  John  C.  Calhoun,  Vice-President  while 
John  Quincy  Adams  was  President  in  1825  ;  a  member  of 
Congress  in  1811  ;  Secretary  of  War  when  the  reconstruc¬ 
tion  of  our  fort  was  completed  in  18x7  ;  born  in  1782,  the 
year  before  Great  Britain  acknowledged  our  independence. 
He  said  his  name  came  once  very  nearly  being  associated 
with  Chicago,  as  the  new  fort  had  been  completed  while  he 
was  Secretary  of  War,  and  it  was  suggested  that  it  be  called 
Fort  Calhoun.  •But  he  did  not  think  it  right  to  change  the 
old  name  which  had  been  given  in  honor  of  Gen.  Henry 
Dearborn,  who  was  Secretary  of  War  when  the  first  fort 
was  built,  in  1804.  Official  documents  tell  us  that,  in 
1803,  Capt.  John  Whistler,  then  a  Lieutenant  at  Detroit, 
was  ordered  here  to  build  the  fort,  that  his  troops  came  by 
land,  and  that  he,  with  his  family  and  his  supplies,  came 


8 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


round  by  the  lakes  in  the  United  States  schooner  Tracy, 
with  Dorr  for  Master.  This  probably  was  the  first  sail- 
vessel  that  ever  came  to  Chicago.  I  can  think  of  no  busi¬ 
ness  that  could  have  brought  one  here  before.  This  Capt. 
John  Whistler  was  father  of  Col.  William  Whistler,  who 
died  in  1863,  and  was  so  favorably  known  by  our  early 
settlers,  and  who  was  father-in-law  of  the  late  Robert  A. 
Kinzie,  of  this  city. 

Besides,  there  was  Judge  William  Wilkins,  of  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  born  in  1779;  Daniel  Webster,  of  Massachusetts, 
born  in  1782;  John  J.  Crittenden,  of  Kentucky,  born  in 
1786;  and  Judge  Levi  Woodbury,  of  New  Hampshire, 
born  in  1  789. 

Then  there  were  three  men  whose  names  are  identified 
with  the  history  of  the  West.  There  was  Lewis  Cass,  born 
in  1782,  appointed,  in  1813,  Governor  of  the  Northwestern 
Territory,  then  embracing  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Iowa, 
Minnesota,  and  all  west.  And  William  Woodbridge,  born 
in  1780,  appointed  in  1814,  Secretary  of  the  same  Territory. 
These  gentlemen  where  walking  histories  of  the  Northwest. 
Then  there  was  Thomas  H.  Benton,  born  in  1782,  Senator 
when  Missouri  was  admitted  in  1S21,  who  made  his  first 
trips  to  Washington  on  horseback.  Add  his  knowledge  to 
that  of  Messrs.  Woodbridge  and  Cass,  and  we  have  a  com¬ 
plete  history  of- the  entire  West.  Many  now  before  me 
will  remember  the  patriotic  lecture  he  delivered  here  in  the 
spring  of  1S57,  upon  the  approaching  crisis  to  this  country, 
about  a  year  before  his  death,  probably  the  last  lecture  of 
his  life.  Nor  should  I  fail  to  mention  Gen.  Henry  Dodge, 
the  Anthony  Wayne  of  his  period,  born  also  in  1782,  one 
of  the  first  Senators  from  Wisconsin. 

A  single  member  of  Congress,  and  the  first  one  elected 
from  Chicago,  was  associated  in  Congress  with  two  mem¬ 
bers  who  served  in  President  Monroe’s  Cabinet,  one  in 
President  J.  Q.  Adams’,  three  in  President  Jackson’s,  one 
in  President  Van  Buren’s,  five  in  President  Harrison's,  four 
in  President  Tyler’s,  four  in  President  Polk’s,  four  in  Presi¬ 
dent  Taylor’s,  seven  in  President  Fillmore’s,  four  in  Presi¬ 
dent  Pierce’s,  five  in  President  Buchanan’s,  and  six  in 
President  Lincoln’s ;  embracing  a  period  of  American 
official  history  from  1S17;  and  some  of  these  men  were 
born  before  the  tea  was  thrown  overboard  in  Boston 
harbor. 

For  some  years  after  Chicago  elected  her  first  member 
of  Congress,  the  widow  of  President  Madison  gave  recep- 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


9 


tions  at  W  ashington,  and  on  the  first  of  January  her  guests 
were  shown  apartments  where  were  suspended  dresses 
which  she  had  worn  upon  all  great  occasions,  including  the 
receptions  of  Presidents  Washington,  Adams,  J  efferson^  and 
her  husband.  James  Madison  was  not  only  a  member  of 
the  Continental  Congress,  but  also  a  member  of  the  first 
Congress  under  the  Constitution,  and  so  continued  during 
the  terms  of  Washington’s  Presidency ;  and  was  Secretary 
of  State  under  Mr.  Jefferson’s  Administration.  So  this 
lady  had  had  ample  opportunity  to  know  the  customs  of 
every  preceding  period  of  our  Governmental  history.  Now, 
if  her  heirs  bring  out  these  dresses  for  the  Centennial  (she 
had  no  children),  the  public  will -be  astonished  at  their 
remarkably  small  number,  she  not  having  had,  in  over  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  what  the  wife  of  the  average  office¬ 
holder  of  these  days  will  have  in  a  single  year. 

Then  there  was  the  widow  of  Gen.  Alexander  Hamilton, 
the  confidant  of  Gen.  Washington  in  the  Revolution,  and 
his  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  who  was  killed  in  a  duel  by 
Aaron  Burr.  She  was  born  in  1757,  and  died  at  Washing¬ 
ton  in  1S54.  She  was  soliciting  Congress  to  aid  her  in 
publishing  her  husband's  works.  She  could  tell  all  about 
her  father,  Gen.  Philip  Schuyler,  of  the  American  Revolu¬ 
tion  ;  the  personal  appearance  of  Gen.  Washington  and  his 
lady  ;  and  of  almost  all  other  public  persons  of  the  Revolu¬ 
tionary  period.  In  fact,  when  you  sent  your  first  member 
of  Congress  to  Washington,  all  society  was  redolent  with 
scenes  of  the  Revolutionary  period ;  and  here  in  our  midst 
were  several  Revolutionary  soldiers ;  and  one,  Father 
David  Keniston,  who  claimed  to  have  been  one  of  the 
party  who  threw  the  tea  overboard  in  Boston  Harbor. 

You  will  excuse  me  for  digressing  from  the  direct  pur¬ 
pose  of  this  lecture  if  I  here  state  to  you,  that  since  I  com¬ 
menced  writing  it,  I  have  received  a  letter  from  an  old 
colleague  in  Congress,  who  was  born  the  same  year  Great 
Britain  acknowledged  our  independence,  1783, — as  it  will 
probably  be  the  last  opportunity  that  .many  of  you  will  ever 
have  of  hearing  a  letter  read  from  a  man  now  living  who  is 
older  than  our  Government;  I  allude  to  the  Hon.  Artemas 
Hale,  of  Bridgewater,  Mass.  He  is  the  oldest  ex-member 
of  Congress  now  living,  in  his  93d  year.  Do  you  want  to 
hear  what  the  veteran  says  ? 

My  health,  considering  my  age,  is  quite  good.  But  my  time  for 
taking  any  active  part  in  public  matters  is  past.  Still,  however,  I  feel 
a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  our  beloved  country, 


IO 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


and  am  pained  to  hear  of  the  corruption  and  frauds  of  so  many  of 
our  public  men.  It  appear-  to  me  that  it  is  of  the  highest  importance 
that  our  circulating  medium  should  have  a  fixed  and  permanent  value, 
which  it  cannot  have  but  by  a  specie  basis.  I  should  be  very  much 
pleased  to  receive  a  letter  from  you,  with  your  views  of  public  matters. 

I  answered  his  letter  in  one  word,  “Amen  !” 

Thus  you  will  see  that  our  history  laps  so  closely  upon 
the  Revolutionary  period  that  there  is  no  precise  point  at 
which  we  can  say  that  Chicago  began,  unless  it  be  in  1S32, 
when  the  marching  of  the  troops  of  Gen.  Scott  to  Rock 
Island,  on  the  Mississippi,  called  attention  to  the  fertility  of 
the  soil  and  the  beautiful  locations  west  of  us.  We  often 
hear  of  different  men  who  have  done  much  for  Chirac  *1  y 
their  writings,  their  speeches,  or  them  enterprise.  But  I 
have  never  heard  of  a  man  who  has  done  more  for  Chi¬ 
cago  than  Chicago  has  done  for  him.  God  made  Lake 
Michigan  and  the  country  to  the  west  of  it:  and,  when 
we  come  to  estimate  who  have  done  the  most  for  Chicago, 
the  glory  belongs  first  to  the  enterprising  farmers  who  raised 
a  surplus  of  produce  and  sent  it  here  for  shipment  :  and 
second,  to  the  hardy  sailors  who  braved  the  storms  of  our 
harborless  lakes  to  carry  it  to  market.  All  other  classes 
were  the  incidents,  and  not  the  necessities,  of  our  embryo 
city.  Chicago  is  but  the  index  of  the  prosperity  of  our 
agricultural  classes.  And  to  this  day  we  hear  Chicago 
mercantile  failures  attributed  to  the  inability  of  farmers  to 
get  their  produce  to  market,  when  the  roads  are  in  a  bad 
condition.  If  we  pass  by  the  impetus  given  to  the  agri¬ 
cultural  development  of  the  country  west  of  Chicago  by 
the  Black  Hawk  AVar  of  1832,  we  must  admit  that  we  are 
passing  into  the  bi-centennial  period.  What  did  Chicago 
know  of  the  •  Uration  of  Independence,  the  Revolution¬ 
ary  War,  the  Peace  of  17S3,  or  the  inauguration  of  Wash¬ 
ington.  until  years  afterwards?  It  is  probable  that  Capt. 
Whistler,  when  he  came  here  to  build  the  fort  of  1804, 
brought  to  Chicago  the  first  information  on  these  subjects, 
and  probably  had  to  employ  an  interpreter  to  explain  it. 
It  was  probably  his  Chaplain  that  made  the  first  prayer  for 
the  President  of  the  United  States  and  all  in  authority; 
and  his  vessel  that  first  -floated  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on 
Lake  Michigan.  But  there  were  prayers  here  aco  years 
ago.  and  a  flag  that  did  not  denote  our  national  indepen¬ 
dence.  but  French  territorial  aggrandizement. 

I  have  used  my  best  efforts  to  find  the  earliest  recog¬ 
nition  of  Chicago  by  any  official  authority.  Charlevoix 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


1 1 

and  other  French  writers  make  mention  of  the  place,  but 
1  cannot  find  that  the  French  Government  in  any  way 
recognized  it.  After  the  Canadas  were  ceded  to  Great 
Britain,  the  whole  Illinois  country  was  placed  under  tire 
local  administration  of  Canada  by  a  bill  which  passed  the 
British  Parliament  in  1766,  known  as  the  "Quebec  Bill:" 
but  there  is  nothing  to  prove  that  the  Canadian  Govern¬ 
ment  took  any  official  notice  of  this  place.  It  may  be 
interesting  to  know  what  was  religious  liberty  in  those 
days.  At  the  period  of  the  change  of  Government  from 
the  French,  under  the  treat}-  of  Paris,  in  1763,  Thomas 
Gage  was  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  British  King's  troops 
in  North  America  ;  and  in  1764.  he  issued  a  proclamation 
authorizing  the  Roman  Catholics  of  Illinois  to  exercise  the 
worship  of  their  religion  in  the  same  manner  as  they  did 
in  Canada,  and  to  go  wherever  they  pleased,  even  to  New 
Orleans. 

In  October,  1778,  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia 
created  the  County  of  Illinois,  appointed  John  Todd,  of 
Kentucky,  Civil  Commander,  and  authorized  all  the  civil 
officers  to  which  the  inhabitants  had  been  accustomed,  to 
be  chosen  by  a  majority  of  the  citizens  of  their  respective 
districts.  From  this  we  should  infer  that  there  were  then 
settlements  somewhere  in  the  State.  But  I  can  find  nothing 
of  Chicago  while  we  belonged  to  Virginia.  The  late  Wm. 
H.  Brown,  of  this  city,  in  a  lecture  before  our  Historical 
Society,  in  1865,  said:  “The  French  inhabitants  of  Kas- 
kaskia,  in  1818,  the  year  in  which  I  made  my  residence 
there,  claimed  that  that  village  was  founded  in  1707.  There 
were  evidences  at  that  time  (  the  remains  of  former  edifices, 
among  them  the  Jesuit  College)  that  their  chronology  was 
substantially  correct.” 

In  17SS.  Gen.  Arthur  St.Clair  became  Governor  of  the 
entire  Northwestern  Territory,  and  was  the  first  man  to 
nil  that  position.  The  seat  of  government  for  Chicago 
people  was  then  at  Marietta,  O.  In  1790  he  came  to 
Ivaskaskia  (some  writers  say  Cahokia)  and  organized  what 
is  now  the  entire  State  of  Illinois  into  a  county,  which 
he  named  for  himself.  Besides  this  there  were  but  two 
counties  in  the  whole  Northwestern  Territory — the  County 
of  Knox,  embracing  Indiana,  and  the  County  of  Hamilton, 
embracing  Ohio.  But  there  is  nothing  to  show  that  Chicago 
at  that  time  was  known  to  the  civil  authorities.  Besides 
consulting  all  the  early  writers  upon  the  subject,  1  have 
corresponded  with  all  the  men  in  the  country  who  I  thought 


12 


REMINISCENCES  OE  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


would  know  anything  concerning  it.  And  I  cannot  find 
anyone  who  has  any  authority  for  stating  that  there  was  any 
official  recognition  of  Chicago  until  Gen.  Wayne’s  Treaty, 
made  at  Greenville  in  1795,  in  which  he  acquired  title  from 
the  Indians  to  a  tract  of  land,  six  miles  square,  at  the  mouth 
of  .the  Chicago  River,  where  a  fort  formerly  stood.  Green¬ 
ville  is  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Ohio,  in  Dark  County, 
upon  the  Indiana  State  line.  There  is  nothing  to  show 
that,  at  that  time,  Gen.  Wayne  came  any  farther  west,  not 
even  as  far  as  Fort  Wayne,  although  he  appears  to  have 
had  the  same  knowledge  of  the  importance  of  the  position 
of  Fort  Wayne  as  he  did  of  that  of  Chicago.  Why  the 
fort  at  this  place,  referred  to,  was  built  .here,  and  who  built 
it,  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain.  As  the  French  and 
Indians  were  always  allies,  there  is  no  reason  why  the 
French  should  have  built  such  a  fort.  It  may  be  that  it 
was  built  by  one  of  the  tribes  of  Indians  to  defend  the 
place  trom  some  other  tribe.  But  offsetting  tradition 
against  Gen.  Wayne's  official  recognition  of  a  fort  here,  it 
may  be  that  there  was  a  mere  trading  and  store-house,  sur¬ 
rounded  by  pickets.  The  prevailing  impression  is  that 
such  was  the  character  of  all  those  places  called  forts  prior 
to  the  abdication  of  the  French  authority.  Col.  Gurdon  S. 
Hubbard,  our  oldest  living  settler,  who  was  here  in  1S1S. 
favors  this  idea,  and  has  reminded  me  of  an  almost  for¬ 
gotten,  but  at  one  time  extensively  received,  tradition,  that 
this  old  fort,  or  palisaded .  trading-post,  was  on  the  West 
Side,  upon  the  North  Branch,  near  where  Indiana  street 
now  crosses  it ;  and  it  was  erected,  or  at  least  was  at  one 
time  occupied,  by  a  Frenchman  named  Garie,  and  hence 
the  tradition  that  our  North  Branch  river  was  one  called 
“Garie's  River.” 

There  was  a  powerful  chief  of  the  Illinois  named  Chi- 
cagou,  who  went  to  France  in  the  year  1725.  The  Hon. 
Sidney  Breese,  who  settled  at  Kaskaskia  in  18 1 8,  who  was 
in  the  United  States  Senate  six  years  during  my  service  in 
Congress,  and  who  still  honors  our  Supreme  Court,  is  the 
best  informed  man  in  Illinois  history  now  living.  He 
writes  me: 

I  know  of  no  authorized  recognition  of  Chicago  as  a  place  on  this 
•globe,  anterior  to  Wayne’s  treaty.  1  have  a  copy  of  a  map,  which  1 
made  from  one  in  the  Congressional  Library,  which  I  found  among 
the  papers  of  President  Jefferson,  made  in  1685;  in  which  is  a  place 
on  the  lake  shore,  about  where  your  city  is,  marked  “Chicagou;” 
and  Father  Louis  Yivier,  who  was  a  priest  at  Kaskaskia  in  1752,  in  a 
letter  to  his  Superior,  says:  “Chikagou  was  a  celebrated  Indian  chief, 


BY  HON.  TOHX  WENTWORTH. 


I 


who  went  to  Paris,  and  the  Duchess  of  Orleans,  a:  Versailles,  gave 
him  a  splendid  snuff-box,  which  he  was  proud  to  exhibit,  on  his 
return,  to  his  brother  redskins." 

Some  have  contended  that  our  city  was  named  from  him. 
But  Charlevoix,  in  his  History  of  New  France,  gives  us 
that  name  as  early  as  x6ji.  in  which  year,  he  says,  a 
French  voyageur,  named  Nicholas  Perrot,  went  to  Chicago, 
at  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  where  the  Miami?  then 
were.  This  was  before  Father  Tames  Marquette  came  here. 

The  treaty  of  Greenville,  at  the  time  considered  of  no 
other  importance  than  as  settling  our  difficulties  with  the 
Indians,  afterwards  became  a  matter  of  very  serious  impor¬ 
tance  in  the  settlement  of  our  difficulties  with  Great  Britain, 
while  the  treaty  of  Ghent  was  being  negotiated,  1814.  When 
the  Commissioners  met,  the  Americans  were  surprised  by 
the  British  Commissioners  demanding  the  recognition  of 
that  treaty  as  the  basis  of  negotiations  as  to  the  western 
boundary  of  the  United  States.  The  British  at  first  refused 
to  negotiate  except  upon  the  basis  of  that  treaty,  and  in¬ 
sisted  upon  the  entire  sovereignty  and  independence  of  the 
Indian  Confederacy.  They  claimed  the  Indians  as  their 
allies,  and  considered  themselves  boimd  to  protect  them  in 
their  treaty.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Indians  had, 
for  a  long  time,  received  annuities  from  the  French  Govern¬ 
ment,  and  that  these  annuities  were  continued  by  Great 
Britain  after  the  treat}'  of  cession  in  1763  :  and  that,  after 
our  independence  was  acknowledged  by  Great  Britain,  the 
Indians  annually  sent  delegations  to  Canada  to  receive 
these  annuities.  During  the  pendency  of  these  negotia¬ 
tions,  it  was  ascertained  that  there  had  been  an  alliance, 
offensive  and  defensive,  between  the  celebrated  Chief 
Tecumseh  and  the  British  authorities.  After  discussing 
the  matter,  and  finding  the  Americans  peremptorily  refus¬ 
ing  to  acknowledge  the  sovereigntv  of  the  Indians,  the 
British  Commissioners  proposed  that  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  should  exercise  a  joint  protectorate  over  the 
Indians,  and.  consider  all  the  territory  not  acknowledged 
t  belong  to  the  United  States  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville 
a-  embraced  within  that  protectorate.  This  would  have 
left  the  six  miles  square  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River 
in  a  permanently  Indian  country.  The  West  would  have 
been  situated  similarly  to  Oregon,  which  was  so  long  held 
under  the  joint  occupation  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States:  and  the  final  result  of  the  joint  occupation  would 
have  been  the  same  as  in  Oregon,  a  division  of  the  rerritorv : 


14 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO 


a  part  of  it,  perhaps  including  Chicago,  being  attached,  in 
the  end,  to  the  Canadian  provinces.  The  British  Commis¬ 
sioners  were  so  pertinacious  on  this  subject  that  it  was 
thought  at  one  time  that  negotiations  would  have  to  be 
given  up.  And  when  the  British  Commissioners  finally 
yielded,  the  British  Government  received  the  bitter  curses 
of  the  Indians. 

Billy  Caldwell,  better  known  in  Chicago  as  Sauganash, 
who  lived  here  several  years  after  I  came  here,  and  was 
well  known  to  me  personally,  had  been  the  intimate  friend 
of  Tecumseh,  and  declared  that  if  Tecumseh  had  been  liv¬ 
ing  he  would  have  aroused  all  the  Indians  in  the  Northwest 
in  a  general  warfare  upon  the  Canadian  settlements,  in 
retaliation  for  what  he  considered  the  treachery  at  Ghent. 
Caldwell,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  insisted  that  Tecumseh, 
not  long  before  he  was  killed,  predicted  that  the  British  in 
time  would  abandon  them,  and  seriously  meditated,  during 
the  war  of  1812.  upon  going  over  to  the  Americans  with  all 
his  forces.  Caldwell  was  the  son  of  an  Irish  Colonel  in  the 
British  army,  stationed  upon  the  Detroit  frontier,  whose 
name  he  bore.  His  mother  was  Tecumseh  s  own  sister. 
He  ultimately  went  to  his  tribe  at  the  Pottawatomie  Reser¬ 
vation  in  Shawnee  County,  Kan.,  and  died  there. 

When  the  Illinois  territory  was  a  part  of  Indiana,  our 
seat  of  government  was  at  Vincennes.  When  it  was  set  off 
from  Indiana,  in  1809,  the  whole  territory  was  organized 
into  two  counties,  St.  Clair  and  Randolph.  Judge  Breese, 
whose  home  was  in  Kaskaskia  in  1818,  informs  me  that  his 
home  was  never  in  the  same  county  with  Chicago,  being  in 
the  southern  County  of  Randolph. 

From  St.  Clair  County,  what  is  now  Cook  County,  was 
set  off  in  the  new  County  of  Madison ;  thence  in  the  new 
County  of  Crawford;  in  1819,  m  the  new  County  of  Clark; 
and  so  little  was  then  known  of  the  northern  country,  that 
the  act  creating  Clark  County  extended  it  to  the  Canada 
line.  In  1821,  we  were  set  off  in  the  new  County  of  Pike; 
in  1823,  in  the  new  County  of  Fulton;  and  in  1825,  in  the 
new  County  of  Peoria.  I  have  not  only  caused  the  County 
records  of  these  counties  to  be  examined,  but  have  also 
corresponded  with  their  earliest  settlers,  and  I  can  find 
no  official  recognition  of  Chicago  until  we  reach  Fulton 
County.  The  Clerk  of  that  County  writes  me,  that  the 
earliest  mention  of  Chicago  in  the  records  is  the  order  of 
.an  election  at  the  term  of  the  Fulton  County  Commis¬ 
sioners’  Court,  Sept.  2.  1S23,  to  choose  one'  Major  and 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


15 


company  officers,  polls  at  Chicago  to  be  opened  at  the  house 
of  John  Kinzie.  The  returns  of  this  election  cannot  be 
found,  if  they  were  ever  made.  As  the  county  was  organ¬ 
ized  in  1823,  this,  of  course,  was  the  first  election  under 
the  organization  of  the  county.  The  same  Court  ordered, 
April  27,  1824,  that  the  Sheriff,  Abner  Eads,  be  released 
from  paying  the  money  tax  collected  at  Chicago  by  Rous- 
ser.  In  those  days  the  Sheriffs  were  ex-officio  collectors  of 
taxes.  The  name  indicates  that  our  Tax-Collector  was 
then  a  Frenchman,  or  a  mixed-breed  French  and  Indian. 
It  seems  that  they  had  defaulters  in  those  days,  as  well  as 
now.  It  would  be  a  gratifying  historical  fact  if  we  could 
know  how  much  this  man  Rousser  collected,  as  showing; 
the  financial  resources  of  our  population  at  that  time,  when 
all  the  'real  estate  belonged  to  the  General  Government, 
lhe  numerous  followers  of  this  man  Rousser  have  shown 
their  ingratitude  to  the  founder  of  their  sect  by  their  failure 
to  erect  any  monument  to  his  memory,  or  to  name  after 
him  a  street,  a  school-house,  or  a  fire-engine  house. 
These  Rousserites  are  getting  to  be  a  numerous  body  of 
men,  and  their  motto  is,  “Keep  what  you  collect.”  One 
election  and  one  steal  are  all  that  the  records  of  Fulton 
County  show  for  Chicago  ! 

The  Clerk  of  Peoria  County  writes  me,  that  his  earliest 
records  commence  March  8,  1825.  From  these  records 
I  learn  that  John  Kinzie  was  commissioned  Justice  of  the 
Peace  July  28,  1825.  He  was  the  first  Justice  of  the 
Peace  resident  at  Chicago.  Alexander  Wolcott,  his  son-in- 
law,  and  John  P.  Beaubien,  were  commissioned  Sept.  10, 
of  the  same  year. 

I  have  also  the  assessment-roll  of  John  L.  Bogardus, 
assessor  of  Peoria  County,  for  the  year  1825,  dated  July 
25,  which  is  as  follows: 


.  Fax-Payers'  Names.  Valuation.  Tax. 

1  Beaubien,  John  B . $1000  $10.00  ' 

2  Clybourne,  Jonas,  . 625  6.25 

3  Clark,  John  K . 250  2.50 

4  Crafts,  John, . : , . .  5000  50.00 

5  Clermont,  Jeremy, .  100  ”1.00 

6  Coutra,  Louis, .  30  .50 

7  Kinzie,  John,  .  500  5.00 

8  Laframboise,  Claude, .  100  1.00 

9  Laframboise,  Joseph, .  50  .50 

10  McKee,  David,  .  100  1.00 

11  Piche,  Peter,  .  100  1.00 

12  Robinson,  Alexander,  .  200  2.00 

13  Wolcott,  Alexander,  .  572  5.72 

14  Wilemet  [Ouilmette],  Antoine, .  400  4.00 


REMINISCENCES  F  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


16 


The  entire  valuation.  land  then  being  not  taxable,  of  all 
the  prop*eny  in  Chicago  was  $0,047.  and  rale  was  one 
per  cent.  But  the  prop>erty  of  the  American  Fur  Company 
—as  assessed  to  John  Crafts,  its  a_ent.  at  $5,000.  He  was 
a  bachelor,  and  died  the  next  year,  and  Mr.  Kinzie  was 
appointed  in  his  place.  Deducting  the -American  Fur  Co.'s 
-  -  e ssme at  y  $4,047  as  the  :  s  pr  rt 

f  Chicago,  in  1S25.  $40.47  as  the  tax.  and  thirteen  as  the 
number  of  the  tax-payers. 

The  Teri:  sent  me  a  coj  y  of  two  poll-books  used  at  Chicago 
—  •  I  Aug.  7,  1826, 

fire  names:  the  other  at  an  election  held  Aug.  2.  1S30, 

:  ontaining  th  rry-two  names :  thus  showing  a  decrease  of 
three  voters  n  four  years.  I  will  read  you  the  names  of 
nr  voters  in  1826.  and  you  will  see  that  onlv  ten  of  the 
fourteen  tax-payers  in  1 S2  5  then  voted : 


1  Augustin  Barmy.  [BannotP] 

2  Henry  Kefley. 

3  I  ramie!  Bcrarassea. 

4  Cole  W  eeks. 

5  Amoine  Onlimerte.  1S25 

6  John  Baptist  e  Secor. 

‘ 

S  Benjamin  RnsseH 
9  Basil e  Itisplattes. 

10  Francis  Laframbolse.  sr. 

11  Frauds  LaframboTe.  Jr. 

12  Josech  Lafnambri-e.  1823 
33  Ah  vender  Laram. 

14  Francis  Lalnckr. 

1 5  Peter  ChareCie. 

36  Claude  Latramboise.  1823 
* 

;  S  Peter  Tania. 


19  Joim  Baptiste  Laforrane. 

20  John  Baptiste  MalasL 

21  Joseph  Pothier. 


22  Alexander  Robinson. 

1S23 

23  join  K 

1S25 

24  I)avid  McKee. 

1S23 

23  Joseph  Ar.ierson. 

26  Jasepl 

t:  It  1  icn 

1S23 

2>  John  Kinzie. 

1S25 

t  me. 

30  Billy  Caldwell 

33  Martin  Yandcle. 

72  Paul  Jamboe. 

. 

34  Edward  Ament. 
T-535  Samuel  Johnston. 


I  win  now  read  you  the  names  of  our  voters  in  JS30, 
•  -  wing  that  onh'  three  of  the  fourteen,  tax-payers  of  1825 
ihenproted : 


1  Stephen  T.  Scott. 

V 

3  Leon  Bonrassea. 

4  E.  H.  Laughton. 

3  Jesse  VC  alter, 

6  Medard  B.  Bear  den. 

"  F: :  ::-:e  C~~-  . 

9  KasscB  E.  Heacock. 

10  James  Brown. 

1 1  J'  Lafra::  boise  :  23.  i;t' 


13  William  See. 

34  John  Van  Horn. 

Jj  J ;  >hn  Mann. 

16  L'avid  Van  Eaton. 

17  Stephen  Mack. 

18  Jonathan  A.  B*i’ey. 

19  Ale  -rMcDolo.  [McDole?] 

20  John  S.  C.  Hogcn. 

[825,  1 826 

22  Billy  Caldwell  1S26 

23  Joseph  ThibeauL 

24  Peter  Frinae. 


BY  HON.  TOHX  WENTWORTH. 


_ _>iar k  r>eauuieii. 

26  Laurant  Martin. 

27  Tohn  Baptiste  Secor  1S26 

28  Joseph  Bauskey. 


t  Mark  Beaubien. 


29  Michael  Welch. 


30  Francis  Laducier,  1S26 


31  Lewis  Ganday. 

32  Peresh  Leclerc. 


It  is  a  remarkable  commentary  upon  the  fickleness  of  our 
population,  that  only  six  of  the  men  who  voted  in  1S26 
voted  in  1830;  and  these  six  were  half-breeds  or  Govern¬ 
ment  employes.  Father  John  Kinzie,  however,  died  be¬ 
tween  the  two  elections,  upon  the  6th  of  January,  1S2S, 
aged  65.  But  there  were  some  not  voting  at  the  second 
election,  such  as  the  late  Archibald  Clybourne,  his  father 
Jonas,  and  half-brother  John  K.  Clark,  who  ended  their 
days  with  us.  The  half-breeds  and  French  who  did  not 
vote  may  have  been  away  on  a  hunting  and  trading  expedi¬ 
tion.  The  voters  in  1S26  seem  to  have  understood  their 
true  interest,  being  dependents  upon  the  fort,  as  every  one  of 
them  voted  the  Administration  ticket,  John  Quincy  Adams 
then  being  President.  If  there  were  ever  three  men  in  the 
United  States  who  electrified  the  whole  country  with  their 
fiery  denunciations  of  the  military  power,  they  were  Presi¬ 
dent  John  Quincy  Adams,  his  Vice-President  John  C.  Cal¬ 
houn,  and  his  Secretary  of  State  Henry  Clay.  Neither  of 
the  three  ever  forget  Gen.  Jackson  !  It  would  have  seemed 
malicious,  and  yet  quite  pertinent,  on  the  part  of  the  Chicago 
member  of  Congress  to  have  asked  either  of  these  gentlemen 
whether  it  was  not  a  singular  fact  that,  while  Mr.  Adams 
was  President,  the  people  of  Chicago  unanimously  voted 
with  the  fort  1  Ninian  Edwards  for  Governor,  Samuel  H. 
Thompson  for  Lieutenant-Governor,  Daniel  P.  Cook  for 
Congressman,  the  Administration  candidates,  each  received 
thirty -five  votes,  being  all  there  were.  The  much-com- 
plained-of  military  power  of  the  present  day  has  never 
secured  a  greater  unanimity  in  the  colored  vote  of  the 
South.  But  four  years  later,  in  1830,  when  Andrew  Jack- 
son  was  President,  there  was  a  material  change  in  the 
politics  of  the  place.  John  Reynolds,  the  Jackson  candi¬ 
date  for  Governor,  received  twenty-two  out  of  the  thirty-two 
votes  cast.  Of  the  six  who  voted  at  both  elections,  and 
who  voted  for  the  Adams  candidate  in  1826,  five  voted  for 
the  Jackson  candidate  in  1830;  showing  their  consistency 
by  each  time  voting  with  the  Administration,  or  more 
properly  with  the  fort.  Billy  Caldwell,  the  Sauganash,  the 
nephew  of  Tecumseh,  voted  the  Jackson  ticket;  while 
Joseph  Laframboise,  a  noted  Indian  chief,  stood  out  and 
voted  against  it.  Perhaps  Gen.  Jackson,  in  some  of  the 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


iS 

early  Indian  wars,  had  caused  the  death  of  some  of  Lafram- 
boise's  relatives  or  friends.  Up  to  184S,  we  had  the  viva 
voce  system  of  voting  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  Each  man 
went  up  to  the  polls,  with  or  without  a  ticket  in  his  hands, 
and  told  whom  he  wanted  to  vote  for.  and  the  judges  so 
recorded  it.  Rut  in  those  days  the  masses  knew  as  little 
whom  they  were  voting  for  as  they  do  now.  For  the 
judges  often  read  off  the  names  of  the  candidates  from  the 
tickets,  and  the  voter  would  nod  his  head.  There  was  no 
chance,  however,  for  stuffing  the  ballot-box  under  the  viva 
voce  system.  It  may  account  for  the  falling  off  of  the  vote 
between  1S26  and  1830,  that  some  persons  would  not  vote 
the  Jackson  ticket,  and  yet  disliked  to  vote  against  the 
fort.  There  were  four  of  the  1  aframboise  family  voting  in 
1S26,  and  only  one  in  1S30.  The  names  of  voters  in  1826 
indicate  that  full  three-fourths  of  them  were  French  and 
half-breeds.  The  judges  in  1826  were  Father  John  Kinzie. 
the  late  Gen.  John  R.  Reaubien.  and  Billy  Caldwell.  The 
clerks  were  the  late  Archibald  Clyboume  and  his  half-brother 
John  K.  Clark.  The  election  was  held  at  the  Agency 
House,  in  Chicago  Precinct,  Peoria  County.  The  Agency 
House  was  on  the  North  Side,  and  was  the  second  house 
built  in  Chicago.  Mr.  Kinzie's  being  the  first.  The  Indian 
Agent  was  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  who  died  in  1830.  son- 
in-law  of  Mr.  Kinzie. 

The  election  of  1S30.  was  held  in  the  house  of  James 
Kinzie,  Chicago  Precinct.  Peoria  County.  This  house  was 
on  the  West  Side,  near  the  forks  of  the  river.  The  South 
Side  had  no  status  at  that  time,  there  being  nothing  then 
on  that  side  except  the  fon  and  light-house  building,  and 
the  log-houses  of  the  two  Reaubien  brothers. — one  residing 
at  the  lake  shore,  and  one  near  the  forks  of  the  river,  with 
such  a  marsh  between,  that,  much  of  the  time,  their  most 
convenient  way  of  visiting  each  other  was  in  boats  in  the 
river. 

The  judges  at  the  election  of  1S30.  were  Russell  E. 
Heacock.  the  first  lawyer  to  settle  in  Chicago.  Gen.  John 
R.  Reaubien.  one  of  the  judges  in  1826,  and  James  Kin¬ 
zie.  The  clerks  were  Medard  R.  Reaubien.  well  known 
in  this  city,  now  principal  agent  of  the  Pottawatomie  tribe 
of  Indians  at  Silver  Lake.  Shawnee  County,  Kansas,  and 
Jesse  Walker.  The  names  of  voters  in  1S30,  indicate 
a  large  influx  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race:  but  among  them 
was  one  Irishman,  probably  the  first  Irishman  who  ever 
trod  the  Chicago  soil.  The  first  thought  that  occurred  to 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


19 


me  was,  What  could  bring  an  Irishman  out  here  all  alone? 
Who  was  to  help  him  celebrate  St.  Patrick’s  Day?  Who 
was  to  attend  his  wake?  His  name  was  Michael  Welch. 
What  have  our  many  Irish  Aldermen  been  thinking  of,  that 
they  have  never  given  us,  in  honor  of  their  first  settler,  a 
Welch  avenue,  a  Welch  street,  a  Welch  schoool-house,  or  a 
Welch  fire-engine?  The  next  thought  that  occurred  to  me 
was,  What  could  he  be  doing  out  here  all  by  himself? 
Now,  what  would  an  Irishman  naturally  do  when  he  found 
himself  here  all  alone,  hundreds  of  miles  distant  from  any 
other  Irishman?  He  was  a  bugler.  He  blew  his  horn. 
He  was  a  discharged  soldier,  and,  having  faithfully  served 
out  his  time,  he  stopped  long  enough  to  vote  the  straight 
Jackson  ticket,  and  then  joined  Captain  Jesse  Brown's 
Rangers  and  marched  on  to  clear  the  Indians  out  of  the 
way  of  his  coming  countrymen,  who  were  already  aroused 
by  his  bugle's  blast,  as  his  patron  St.  Patrick,  centuries 
before,  had  cleared  the  snakes  out  of  his  way  in  the  land  of 
bis  nativity. 

Capt.  Jesse  Brown  was  a  brother  of  the  late  Judge 
Thomas  C.  Brown,  of  our  Supreme  Court,  and  was  author¬ 
ized  by  President  Jackson  to  raise  a  company  of  men,  who 
were  called  “  Brown's  Rangers,7'  and  was  ordered  to  report 
to  Gen.  Stephen  W.  Kearney,  on  the  Western  frontier. 

There  is  a  prevailing  impression  that  Jrishmen  never  go 
anywhere  except  in  squads.  But  the  history  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Continent  will  prove  that  Irishmen  have  ventured  as 
far  alone  upon  hazardous  explorations  as  any  other  men. 
But  he  dislikes  to  stay  alone.  Like  the  honey-bee,  when 
he  finds  a  good  thing,  he  wants  some  others  to  come  and 
help  him  enjoy  it.  My  original  Congressional  district 
extended  north  to  the  Wisconsin  line,  west  to  the  Rock 
River  Valley,  south  so  as  to  embrace  Princeton,  LaSalle, 
Bloomington,  Urbana,  and  Danville.  I  had  to  travel  ail 
over  this  district  with  a  horse  and  buggy,  and  visit  the 
spare  settlements.  I  often  found  an  Irishman  cultivating 
the  soil  alone.  But  when  I  made  a  second  visit,  I  found 
some  more  Irishmen  there,  or  else  the  original  one  had 
gone.  Gov.  Winthrop,  of  Boston,  in  his  journal  under  date 
of  1642,  tells  us  of  one  Darby  Field,  an  Irishman,  who 
could  not  rest  contented  after  his  landing  in  America  until 
he  had  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  White  Mountains.  He 
was  the  first  man  to  ascend  Mount  Washington,  and  when 
asked  why  he  went,  replied,  “  Merely  to  take  a  look  at  the 
country  1” 


20 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


The  official  dispatches  of  one  of  the  battles  o.f  the  Mexi¬ 
can  War  commended  the  conduct  of  Private  Sullivan,  of 
one  of  our  Chicago  regiments.  In  the  battle  he  had 
advanced  before  his  company,  engaged  in  a  single  combat 
with  a  Mexican  officer,  and  killed  him.  I  called  President 
Polk's  attention  to  the  report,  and  asked  for  Sullivan's  pro¬ 
motion.  He  referred  the  matter  to  the  Adjutant-General. 
Time  passed  along,  and  no  appointment  was  sent  to  the 
Senate.  I  called  upon  the  Adjutant-General,  and  he  read 
me  a  letter  from  Sullivan's  superior  officer,  commending  his 
courage  and  general  good  conduct,  but  strongly  protesting 
against  his  appointment  as  Lieutenant  in  the  regular  army, 
on  account  of  his  deficiency  in  West  Point  education.  I 
appealed  to  the  President,  and  it  did  not  take  long  to 
satisfy  him  that  good  fighting  in  war-time  would  counter¬ 
balance  all  deficiencies  in  education,  and  Sullivan  was 
promoted.  Some  time  after  the  close  of  the  war,  his  father 
called  upon  me,  said  he  had  not  heard  from  his  son  for  a 
long  time,  and  wanted  me  to  find  him.  Many  of  you  will 
remember  the  father,  Jeremiah  Sullivan,  at  one  time  Justice 
of  the  Peace, — a  tall  and  well-proportioned  gentleman,  with 
a-  prepossessing  a  general  appearance  as  any  gentleman 
who  walked  our  streets.  I  wrote  to  Washington,  and 
received  for  answer  that  Sullivan  resigned  his  Lieutenancy 
at  the  close  of  the  war.  Inside  the  official  letter  was  a 
note  marked  “private  and  unofficial."  ‘‘Tell  Sullivan's 
father  to  read  the  news  from  Mexico.  I  enclose  some 
scraps  from  a  Xew  Orleans  newspaper,  and  the  Col.  Sul¬ 
livan  therein  mentioned  is  reported  to  be  the  late  Lieut. 
Sullivan  of  the  regular  army."  Some  time  afterwards,  an 
officer  of  the  army  gave  me  the  following  account :  After 
the  close  of  the  war  with  Mexico,  some  of  the  officers  were 
tarrying  late  at  dinner,  when  Lieut.  Sullivan  entered  and 
was  saluted  with  “  Will  you  join  us,  Lieut.  Sullivan  ?" 
"  Col.  Sullivan,  if  you  please,  gentleman."  was  the  reply. 
Whereupon  one  of  the  officers  said,  “  It  will  not  surprise  us 
at  all  if  you  are  Col.  Sullivan.  If  your  killing  that  Mexican 
was  of  so  much  account  as  to  put  you  on  an  equality  with 
us  who  have  studied  four  years  at  West  Point,  and  have 
seen  considerable  active  sendee,  a  little  personal  favoritism 
might  cam1  you  still  higher,  and  make  you  a  Colonel. 
Why,  Lieut.  Sullivan,  if  you  should  kill  another  Mexican, 
those  politicians  at  Washington  would  make  you  Com- 
mander-in-Chief T  “Gentlemen,"  said  Sullivan,  “it  is 
business  that  brings  me  here.  Here  is  my  commission  as 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


21 


'Colonel  in  the  Mexican  revolutionary  army,  and  now  you 
know  my  authority.  And  now,  here’s  my  business  in  this 
paper,  which  I  will  read.”  He  then  read  a  paper  authoriz¬ 
ing  and  requesting  him  to  employ  a  competent  engineer 
upon  his  staff.  The  officers  reminded  him  that  they  knew 
nothing  of  the  face  of  the  Mexican  country,  had  no  maps, 
knew  not  his  route,  and  insisted  that  they  could  be  of  no 
service  to  him.  “You  do  not  understand  me,  gentlemen,” 
replied  Sullivan ;  “  it  is  not  for  what  I  am  going  to  do  that 
I  want  any  of  your  assistance.  I  only  want  you  to  map  it 
out  after  I  have  done  it.  You  are  always  talking  about 
your  military  school,  and  what  you  have  studied,  and  the 
like  of  you  will  be  at  school  hereafter,  and  they  will  want 
to  study  Sullivan’s  Route  to  the  Capital  of  Mexico  ;  and  if 
ever  I  should  be  Emperor,  whom  would  I  want  for  Sec¬ 
retary  of  AVar  but  my  own  Engineer?”  Sullivan  set  out 
upon  his  march  with  no  one  to  map  out  his  route.  He 
penetrated  regions  where  no  man  had  ever  been  before. 
He  came  out  of  forests  where  men  least  expected  him.  He 
appeared  to  be  everywhere,  and  the  inhabitants  could  make 
no  calculation  where  he  was  not.  They  either  all  joined 
him,  or  fled  before  him.  He  had  everything  his  own  way, 
until,  in  his  efforts  to  join  the  main  army,  he  found  himself 
in  the  fortified  country.  Here  he  missed  his  engineer  and 
his  military  education.  He  was  wounded,  taken  prisoner, 
marched  into  the  Plaza,  a  bullet  pierced  his  heart,  and  that 
Avas  the  last  of  Sullivan.  But  it  just  took  a  Chicago  Irish 
boy  to  teach  the  Emperor  Maximilian  how  to  die  the  death 
of  a  soldier  some  twenty  years  afterwards  ;  and  Sullivan  had 
as  much  right  in  Mexico  as  Maximilian. 

There  are  67  names  upon  the  two  voting-lists  of  1825 
and  1830.  Six  voted  at  both  elections,  leaving  61  different 
names,  which,  with  the  four  on  the  tax-list  of  1825  who  did 
not  vote  at  either  election,  constitute  the  65  from  whom 
our  first  families  are  descended. 

And  as  there  may  be  some  pride  in  after  years  in  tracing 
one’s  connection  with  our  first  families,  the  real  Knicker¬ 
bockers  of  Chicago,  1  have  taken  some  pains  to  obtain 
interviews  or  hold  correspondence  with  such  of  them  as 
might  be  living,  and  with  the  descendants  of  such  as  are 
dead.  Of  a  very  large  proportion  of  them  1  can  obtain  no 
knowledge  whatever.  1  shall  publish  all  their  names,  and 
at  some  future  time  shall  publish  what  I  have  ascertained, 
or  may  hereafter  ascertain,  of  their  history  and  of  their  de¬ 
scendants.  When  it  was  known,  in  i860,  that  the  Prince 


22 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


of  Wales  was  to  make  Chicago  a  visit,  one  of  our  society 
men  suggested  that  it  was  my  duty,  as  Mayor  of  the  city, 
to  select  about  a  hundred  from  our  first  families  and  give 
the  Prince  a  ball.  I  asked  him  to  give  the  names  of  the 
hundred  from  the  first  families.  This  he  said  he  was  un¬ 
willing  to  do.  I  asked  him  then  to  give  me  the  names  of 
even  ten  of  our  first  families,  meaning,  of  course,  nine 
besides  his  own.  This  he  also  declared  himself  unwilling 
to  do.  But  if,  at  any  future  time,  any  one  of  our  society 
men  should  wish  to  make  a  party  from  our  first  families,  he 
may  derive  some  assistance  from  this  lecture. 

At  this  time  I  think  there  are  but  three  of  those  voters 
living.  One  is  Medard  B.  Beaubien,  son  of  the  late  Gen. 
John  B.  Beaubien,  of  this  city,  now  the  leading  man  among 
the  Pottawatomie  Indians,  in  Kansas.  The  second  is 
David  McKee,  now  living  near  Aurora,  Ill.  He  was  born 
in  Virginia  in  1800,  and  went  to  Cincinnati  when  a  young 
man,  as  a  blacksmith.  Under  the  treaty  of  Chicago,  made 
with  the  Indians  by  Gen.  Cass,  in  1821,  the  Government 
was  to  keep  a  blacksmith  here,  who  was  to  work  exclusively 
for  the  Indians.  Col.  Benjamin  B.  Kerchival,  then  Indian 
Agent,  afterwards  a  prominent  citizen  of  Detroit,  went  to 
Cincinnati  and  employed  McKee  to  come  here  in  that 
capacity.  McKee  reached  Fort  Wayne,  and  there  waited 
for  a  guide.  At  that  time  the  only  mail  Chicago  had  was 
a  monthly  one  to  Fort  Wayne.  He  did  not  wait  long 
before  the  exploring  expedition  of  Maj.  Stephen  H.  Long 
reached  that  place,  and  he  accompanied  it  to  Chicago. 
Turning  to  the  history  of  that  expedition,  by  Prof.  William 
H.  Keating,  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  I  find  that 
orders  were  issued  to  Maj.  Long,  April  25,  1823,  for  him 
to  commence  at  Philadelphia,  thence  to  proceed  to  Wheel¬ 
ing,  thence  to  Chicago  or  Fort  Wayne,  thence  to  Fort 
Armstrong  or  Dubuque  lead  mines,  thence  up  the  Missis¬ 
sippi  to  Fort  St.  Anthony,  etc.  The  expedition  reached 
Fort  Wayne,  May  26,  1823,  and  Prof.  Keating  speaks  of 
the  fort  then  there  as  erected  in  1814  on  the  site  of  the  old 
fort,  the  location  of  which  had  been  designated  by  Gen. 
Anthony  Wayne  after  his  victory  over  the  confederated 
Indians  on  the  20th  of  August,  1794,  which  gave  rise  to  the 
treaty  of  Greenville  in  the  following  year.  The  Professor 
says  also,  that  the  expedition  fortunately  met  at  Fort 
Wayne  the  express  sent  from  Chicago  for  letters,  and 
obtained  him  as  guide.  They  left  Fort  Wayne  May  29th, 
1823.  Their  cavalcade  consisted  of  seven  persons,  in- 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH.  23 

eluding  the  soldier  mail-carrier,  and  a  colored  servant ;  and 
they  had  two  horses  loaded  with  provisions.  On  the  5th 
of  June  they  reached  Fort  Dearborn,  Chicago,  having  been 
eight  days  in  traveling  the  distance  of  216  miles,  an  average 
of  27  miles  a  day,  their  distance  exceeding  the  usual  allow¬ 
ance  by  16  miles,  in  consequence  of  their  circuitous  route 
to  avoid  the  Elkhart  River.  The  railroad  train  now  leav¬ 
ing  here  at  9  a.m.  reaches  Fort  Wayne  at  2  p.m.  The 
post  at  Chicago  was  abandoned  a  few  months  after  the 
party  reached  it,  in  consequence  of  the  rapid  extension  of 
the  white  population  westward,  and  the  establishment  of  a 
chain  of  military  posts  along  the  Mississippi  River,  render¬ 
ing  the  continuance  of  the  force  here  unnecessary.  An 
Indian  Agent,  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  uncle  of  our  present 
County  Surveyor,  of  the  same  name,  remained  here  to  keep 
up  amicable  relations  with  the  Indians,  and  to  attend  to 
their  wants,  daily  becoming  greater  in  consequence  of  the 
increasing  scarcity  of  game.  Fort  Dearborn  was  not  occu¬ 
pied  by  soldiers  again,  except  temporarily  in  transit,  until 
1832,  when  the  Black  Hawk  troubles  broke  out.  When 
Mr.  McKee  came  here  there  were  but  two  houses  ;  one 
belonging  to  John  Kinzie,  the  other  to  his  son-in-law,  Dr. 
Alexander  Wolcott,  the  Indian  Agent, — Mr.  Kinzie’s  hav¬ 
ing  been  built  first.  Both  houses  were  built  of  logs,  and 
lined  with  cedar  bark.  The  third  house  was  built  by 
Joseph  Pothier,  a  Frenchman,  and  one  of  the  voters  here 
in  1826,  and  who  until  recently  was  a  resident  of  Mil¬ 
waukee.  He  married  an  Indian  half-breed,  brought  up  by 
Mr.  Kinzie,  and  was  striker  for  Mr.  McKee  in  the  black¬ 
smith  shop.  Mr.  McKee  was  married  by  Mr.  Kinzie,  at 
Mr.  Kinzie’s  house,  and  he  built  the  fourth  house.  All 
four  houses  were  on  the  north  side  of  the  river. 

The  inhabitants  were  soldiers,  Frenchmen  in  the  employ 
of  the  American  Fur  Company,  and  Indians.  When  the 
fort  was  not  garrisoned,  and  the  fur-traders  were  in  the 
country  making  their  purchases,  the  Indians  constituted 
almost  the  entire  population.  In  i82  7-’2  8,  Mr.  McKee 
carried  the  mail  once  a  month  to  Fort  Wayne.  As  his 
Indian  pony  had  to  carry  the  mail-bag  and  the  blankets  for 
him  to  sleep  upon,  he  could  not  carry  corn  for  the  pony 
and  provisions  for  himself.  He  drove  the  pony  in  front  of 
him,  and  cut  down  an  elm  or  basswood  tree  for  the  pony 
to  browse  upon  during  the  night.  He  carried  a  gun  with 
which  he  killed  the  game  for  his  own  food.  His  route  was 
from  here  to  Niles,  Mich.,  thence  to  Elkhart,  Ind.,  and 


24 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


thence  to  Fort  Wayne.  Mis  average  trip  from  this  place 
to  Fort  Wayne  was  fourteen  days ;  the  quickest  time  he 
ever  made  was  ten  days.  Gen.  John  McNiel,  one  of  the 
heroes  in  the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane,  commanded  the  fort 
when  Mr.  McKee  came  to  Chicago.  Soon  after  his  arrival, 
a  sailing  vessel,  called  the  Heartless,  undertook  to  enter 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  ran  ashore,  and  was  beached  in  the 
sand.  They  tried  to  cut  her  out,  but  she  went  to  pieces. 
About  a  year  thereafter  the  first  vessel  entered  the  harbor, 
and  anchored  opposite  the  fort.  It  was  the  United  States 
revenue-cutter  Fairplay.  When  we  speak  of  the  first  vessel 
coming  to  Chicago,  there  is  always  a  confusion  between 
the  vessels  that  anchored  outside  and  the  vessels  that 
actually  came  up  into  the  river.  It  is  claimed  that  this 
United  States  revenue-cutter  Fairplay  was  the  first  one  to 
actually  enter  the  river.  In  1826,  there  came  here  a  sail¬ 
ing  vessel  called  the  Young  Tiger,  to  enter  the  river,  but 
she  anchored  out  in  the  lake,  slipped  her  cable,  and  went 
ashore. 

Mr.  E.  Buell,  now  residing  in  Clinton  County,  Iowa, 
near  Lyons,  aged  75,  claims  that  he  was  pilot  and  naviga¬ 
tor  on  the  schooner  Aurora,  Capt.  Titus,  that  came  to 
Chicago  in  1820  or  1821;  but  he  leaves  the  question  un¬ 
settled  as  to  whether  or  not  he  came  up  into  the  river. 
The  steamers  which  brought  here  the  troops  of  Gen.  Scott, 
in  1832,  had  to  anchor  some  distance  outside.  The  per¬ 
sons  claiming  to  have  been  upon  the  first  vessel,  that  passed 
over  the  Chicago  bar  and  came  up  into  the  river;  are  even 
more  numerous  than  those  claiming  to  be  descendants  of 
the  persons  who  had  the  first  white  child  born  in  Chicago. 
I  will  not  discuss  this  matter  now,  as  the  mass  of  you  care 
less  about  those  who  had  the  first  child  than  you  do  about 
those  who  are  to  have  the  next  one,  and  what  is  to  become 
of  it. 

The  third  man  now  living  who  voted  in  Chicago  Pre¬ 
cinct,  Peoria  County,  in  1830,  is  our  well-known  fellow- 
citizen,  Mark  Beaubien.  He  came  here  in  1826,  to  visit  his 
brother,  John  B.  Beaubien,  who  was  an  employ^  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  and  who  lived  in  a  log-house  near 
the  lake-shore,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  on  the  South 
Side.  Mark  returned  to  Detroit,  and  brought  his  family 
here,  and  built  him  a  log-house,  fronting  the  river,  on 
what  is  known  as  the  “  Old  Wigwam  Lot,”  on  the  corner  of 
Lake  and  Market  streets  ;  it  being  at  that  time  the  only 
dwelling-house  on  the  South  Side,  except  his  brother’s. 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


25 


He  constructed  it  for  hotel  purposes,  and,  when  the  Indian 
Chief  Sa-uganash  learned  his  design,  he  told  him  that 
Americans  named  their  hotels  after  big  men,  and  asked 
him  what  he  was  going  to  call  it.  Mr.  Beaubien  took  the 
hint,  and  said  “  I'll  call  it  Sauganash  !”  A  few  years  after¬ 
wards,  he  built  a  large  addition  to  it,  which  was  the  first 
frame-house  built  on  the  South  Side.  It  was  in  this  house 
that  I  took  my  first  meal,  on  my  arrival  here  in  1836,  it  being 
then  kept  by  John  Murphy.  Mr.  Beaubien  was  born  in  1800, 
and  in  Detroit,  where  his  father  was  also  born  ;  but  his  grand¬ 
father  was  an  emigrant  from  France.  He  established  the  first 
ferry,  at  the  forks  of  the  river.  He  was  an  original  fiddler, 
having  inherited  the  art  in  the  natural  way ;  and  he  will 
probably  die  one.  In  case  of  the  absence  of  the  music  at 
any  of  our  parties  in  olden  times,  Mr.  Beaubien  was  always 
sent  for,  and  when  one  fiddle-string  broke,  he  was  good  for 
the  three ;  and,  when  another  broke,  he  could  still  keep  up 
the  music ;  and  if  there  were  only  one  string  left,  a  party 
would  never  go  away  disappointed  if  Mr.  Beaubien  was  left 
to  play  upon  it.  He  has  done  much  to  keep  up  our  first 
families,  having  had  twenty-three  children.  His  grand¬ 
children  had  numbered  fifty-three  when  the  great-grand¬ 
children  began  to  make  their  appearance,  and  he  stopped 
counting.  I  introduce  him  to  you  to-day  as  the  only  man 
you  will  probably  ever  see  who  witnessed  the  surrender  of 
an  American  army.  God  grant  that  such  an  event  may 
never  happen  again  !  During  the  War  of  1812,  Mr.  Beau- 
bien's  father,  hearing  that  the  town  (Detroit)  was  about  to 
be  bombarded  by  the  British  army,  had  ordered  his  children 
to  go  down  into  the  Cellar,  when  news  came  that  Gen.  Hull 
had  surrendered.  Mark  Beaubien  saw  Gen.  Hull  and  his 
staff  rowed  over  to'  the  Canadian  shore,  and  then  the 
soldiers  Avere  taken  over  under  the  charge  of  the  red-coat 
officials. 

Cook  County  Avas  set  off  from  Peoria  County  under 
an  act  passed  in  1831.  The  first  election  was  in  Aug., 
1832.  The  county  AAras  named  for  the  Hon.  Daniel  P. 
Cook,  son-in-law  of  Gov.  Ninian  Edwards,  who  Avas  one 
of  the  first  tlnited  States  Senators  from  this  State.  Mr. 
Cook  Avas  a  member  of  Congress  from  1820  to  1827,  and 
died  in  1827,  aged  32,  one  of  the  most  talented  men 
Avho  ever  lived  in  this  State.  As  our  poll-lists  of  the 
first  election,  in  1832,  Avere  burnt,  I  can  no  longer  trace 
our  first  families,  and  those  who  wish  to  marry  into  them 
must  look  back  to  those  Avho  Avere  taxed  in  1825,  or  voted 


26 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


in  1826  or  1830,  if  they  do  not  wish  their  honors  disputed. 
Cook  County  then  included  the  present  Counties  of  Lake, 
McHenry,  DuPage,  and  Will,  all  west  being  included  in 
Jo  Daviess  County.  The  only  voting-place  of  Cook 
County  at  that  time  was  at  Chicago.  The  highest  number 
of  votes  cast  for  all  the  candidates  for  any  one  office  in 
1832  was  1 14,  against  32  in  1830,  and  35  in  1826. 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  practice  then,  as  now,  to  take 
our  officers  from  Galena,  and  then,  as  now,  they  were  very 
good  men.  Galena  and  Chicago  were  then  in  the  same 
Representative  and  Senatorial  Districts.  Col.  James  M. 
Strode  was  elected  to  the  Senate,  and  Benjamin  Mills  to 
the  House,  both  being  attorneys-at-law  at  Galena.  Elijah 
Wentworth,  Jr.,  who  died  at  Galesburg,  Ill.,  on  the  18th  of 
November  last,  received  all  the  votes  for  Coroner  at  this 
election.  He  wrote  me,  just  before  his  death,  that  he 
went  with  his  father,  Elijah  Wentworth,  Sr.,  from  Maine  to 
Kentucky;  they  moved  thence  to  Dodgeville,  Wis.,  where 
he  was  living  at  the  time  Jefferson  Davis  was  constnicting 
Fort  Winnebago,  about  75  miles  distant.  Davis  had  been 
ordered  there  soon  after  his  graduation  at  West  Point  in 
1828,  and  he  often  visited  Dodgeville  in  attendance  upon 
social  parties,  and  is  well  remembered  by  old  settlers  there, 
to  this  day.  In  1830,  Mr.  Wentworth  and  his  father  moved 
to  Chicago,  and  rented  a  new  hotel  of  James  Kinzie,  then 
the  best  in  Chicago,  on  the  West  Side,  near  the  forks  of 
the  river.  It  was  a  log-house,  with  upright  boards  upon 
the  outside.  He  carried  the  mail  from  Chicago  to  Niles, 
once  a  month. 

At  the  annual  election  in  August,  1 834,  the  highest  num¬ 
ber  of  votes  for  all  the  candidates  for  any  one  office  was 
528,  against  114  m  1832.  Thus  our  population  began  to 
increase.  This  vote  was  for  the  whole  County  of  Cook. 
In  1835,  the  highest  number  of  votes  in  the  entire  county, 
for  all  the  candidates  for  any  one  office,  was  1064.  And 
religious  enterprise  and  liberality  had  so  far  advanced  that, 
at  the  Ladies7  Fair  at  the  old  St.  James,  the  mother  of 
Episcopacy  in  the  Northwest,  on  the  18th  of  June  in  that 
year,  the  receipts  were  $1,431.  In  the  spring  of  1837,  at 
our  first  municipal  election,  the  city  alone  cast  709  votes.* 

It  seems  not  to  be  generally  known  that,  up  to  the  time 
of  the  opening  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  Chicago 
was  not  at  all  troubled  with  mosquitoes;  a  blessing  which 
amply  compensated  for  many  of  our  early  deprivations. 

"  For  list  of  names  on  the  poll-book,  see  “Fergus’  Directory  for  1839.” 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


2  7 


The  history  of  Chicago  furnishes  one  with  a  complete 
history  of  an  irredeemable  paper-money  system.  Emigra¬ 
tion  was  fast  tending  westward  in  1835.  Government  land 
was  $1.25  per  acre.  The  emigrants  had  little  or  no 
money,  and  would  purchase  land  on  credit  at  greatly  ad¬ 
vanced  prices.  Eastern  speculators  flocked  here  and  took 
advantage  of  this  condition  of  things.  The  Government 
money  received  for  lands  would  be  deposited  in  the  banks, 
credited  to  the  Government,  and  then  reloaned  back  to 
speculators.  Thus  the  Government  had  credits  in  banks 
to  more  than  the  amount  of  their  capital,  and  their  assets 
consisted  almost  entirely  of  the  notes  of  Western  specu¬ 
lators.  The  Government  was  out  of  debt,  and  had  no  use 
for  its  surplus,  which  was  forming  the  basis  of  those  large 
speculative  loans,  and  men  became  even  more  excited  and 
reckless  than  were  the  land-operators  here  in  Chicago  at 
the  time  of  the  recent  panic.  Besides,  money  was  taken 
from  every  branch  of  business  to  invest  in  these  Western 
speculations.  The  President  of  the  United  States  had  no 
power  to  stop  the  sales  of  lands  or  to  limit  bank  discounts. 
He  saw  the  immediate  necessity  of  arresting  this  condition 
of  things,  and  he  had  no  other  way  to  do  it  than  to  issue 
an  order  that  nothing  but  gold  and  silver  should  be  re¬ 
ceived  for  the  public  lands.  According  to  an  invariable 
law,  a  redundancy  of  paper  had  driven  the  precious  metals, 
out  of  the  country,  and  the  banks  had  not  the  specie 
wherewith  to  redeem  their  bills,  which  were  fast  being  pre¬ 
sented  to  obtain  land-office  money.  The  banks  all  failed, 
and  corporations  and  individuals  issued  certificates  of  in¬ 
debtedness,  which  were  interchanged  as  currency.  States, 
counties,  and  cities  paid  their  debts  in  warrants  upon  an 
empty  treasury.  The  Canal  Commissioners  paid  contract¬ 
ors  in  scrip,  and  the  contractors  paid  their  laborers  in  a 
lesser  scrip,  redeemable  in  the  scrip  of  the  Commissioners. 

Nearly  every  man  in  Chicago  doing  business  was  issuing 
his  individual  scrip,  and  the  city  abounded  with  little 
tickets,  such  as  “Good  at  our  store  for  ten  cents,”  “Good 
for  a  loaf  of  bread,”  “Good  for  a  shave,”  “Good  for  a 
drink,”  etc.,  etc.  When  you  went  out  to  trade,  the  trader 
would  look  over  your  tickets,  and  select  such  as  he  could 
use  to  the  best  advantage.  The  times  for  a  while  seemed 
very  prosperous.  We  had  a  currency  that  was  interchange¬ 
able,  and  for  a  time  wre  suffered  no  inconvenience  from  it, 
except  when  w7e  wanted  some  specie  to  pay  for  our  post¬ 
age.  In  those  days  it  took  25  cents  to  send  a  letter  East, 


28 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


But  after  a  while  it  was  found  out  that  men  were  over-issu¬ 
ing.  The  barber  had  outstanding  too  many  shaves;  the 
baker  too  many  loaves  of  bread;  the.  saloon-keeper  too 
many  drinks,  etc.,  etc.  Want  of  confidence  became  gen¬ 
eral.  Each  man  became  afraid  to  take  the  tickets  of  an¬ 
other.  Some  declined  to  redeem  their  tickets  in  any  way, 
and  some  absconded.  And  people  found  out,  as  is  always 
the  case  where  there  is  a  redundancy  of  paper  money,  that 
they  had  been  extravagant,  had  bought  things  they  did  not 
need,  and  had  run  in  debt  for  a  larger  amount  than  they 
were  able  to  pay.  Of  course,  nearly  everyone  failed,  and 
charged  his  failure  upon  President  Jackson’s  specie  circular. 
In  after  times,  I  asked  an  old  settler,  who  was  a  great 
growler  in  those  days,  what  effect  time  had.  had  upon  his 
views  of  Gen.  Jackson’s  circular.  His  reply  was  that  Gen. 
Jackson  had  spoiled  his  being  a  great  man.  Said  he,  “I 
came  to  Chicago  with  nothing,  failed  for  $100,000,  and 
could  have  failed  for  a  million,  if  he  had  let  the  bubble 
burst  in  the  natural  way.” 

A  single  instance  will  illustrate  to  what  various  purposes 
those  little  tickets  of  indebtedness  could  be  put.  A  boy 
had  a  ticket  “Good  for  a  drink.”  He  dropped  it  into  the 
church  contribution -box,  and  heard  no  more  of  it.  He 
told  another  boy,  who  did  the  same  thing  with  the  same 
result.  That  boy  told  his  sister,  who  told  her  mother,  who 
told  her  husband,  who  deemed  it  his  duty  to  tell  the  Dea¬ 
con.  Meanwhile  the  boys  were  putting  in  the  tickets 
“Good  for  a  drink,”  and  telling  the  other  boys  to  do  the 
same.  The  Deacon,  alive  to  all  the  responsibilities  of  his 
position,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  entered  a  saloon; 
called  the  barkeeper  one  side,  and  asked  him  to  change  a 
$1  scrip,  well  knowing  he  could  not  do  so  unless  it  were  in 
liqrfbr-tickets.  The  saloon-keeper  was  afraid  to  offer  such 
tickets,  and  declined  to  make  the  change,  until  the  Deacon 
gave  him  a  hint  that,  although  he  did  not  stimulate  himself, 
he  thought  he  could  use  the  tickets.  Then,  said  the  Dea¬ 
con,  “I  have  a  curiosity  to  know  the  extent  of  the  circula¬ 
tion  of  these  tickets,  and  really  wish  you  would  put  a  private 
mark  upon  them,  and  notify  me  when  one  returns.”  Think 
of  a  Deacon  putting  such  currency  into  a  contribution-box ! 
But  he  did  it,  and  the  boys  put  in  some  more.  On  Monday 
afternoon,  the  Deacon  was  notified  that  one  of  his  tickets 
had  been  redeemed.  Oh,  what  a  chance  for  a  scandal 
case !  Imagine  that  such  a  thing  had  happened  in  our  day ! 
Think  of  our  enterprising  newsgatherers  calling  upon  a 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


29 


Deacon,  and  asking  him  what  was  the  average  time  of  a 
liquor-ticket's  going  from  his  church  contribution-box  to  a 
saloon !  With  solemn  tread  the  Deacon  made  his  way  to 
his  pastor’s  residence,  and  asked  him  what  disposition  he 
made  of  the  various  tickets  taken  from  the  contribution- 
box.  The  reply  was  that  his  wife  assorted  them,  strung 
them  upon  different  strings,  entered  them  upon  a  book, 
and  gave  the  church  credit  as  she  used  any  of  them. 
“And  do  you  say,  my  dear  brother,”  asked  the  Deacon, 
“that  you  have  no  knowledge  of  the  particular  uses  to 
which  these  tickets  have  been  put?”  “  I  do  say  so,”  said 
the  pastor.  The  Deacon  breathed  freer.  He  had  cleared 
his  pastor,  but  I  have  no  doubt  he  prayed,  “May  the  Lord 
have  mercy  on  his  poor  wife !”  The  wife  was  called,  and 
her  husband  said,  “The  Deacon  wishes  us  to  give  an  ac¬ 
count  of  the  proceeds  of  the  contribution-box.”  “Not 
exactly  so,  my  dear  sister,”  said  the  Deacon;  “but  1  wish 
to  know  for  what  purposes  the  liquor-tickets  have  been 
used.”  She  comprehended  the  matter  at  once,  and 
promptly  replied,  “Why,  Deacon,  did  you  want  them?  I 
never  thought  you  were  a  drinking  man.  Now,  as  you 
didn't  have  the  tickets,  will  you  share  with  us  the  proceeds?' 
Let  us  all  take  a  drink!”  She  rushed  to  her  pantry, 
brought  out  a  pitcher,  with  tumblers,  and  it  was  filled  with 
— milk!  In  making  the  change  with  her  milkman  his  eyes 
had  fallen  upon  these  tickets,  and  he  said  he  could  use 
them.  Thus  throwing  the  liquor-tickets  into  the  contribu¬ 
tion-box  was  but  a  repetition  of  the  old  adage,  “Evil  be 
thou  my  good.”  They  had  discharged  all  the  functions  of 
the  modern  greenback,  even  to  furnishing  a  poorly-paid 
clergyman’s  children  with  milk. 

Not  long  after  our  Chicago  citizens  were  victimized  by 
another  irredeemable  currency  device.  Michigan  legisla¬ 
tors  thought  that,  while  there  was  not  specie  enough  in  the 
country  for  a  banking  basis,  there  was  land  enough.  So 
they  passed  what  is  known  as  the  “Real  Estate  Banking 
1  aw.”  They  contended  that  real  estate  was  better  than 
:  old  and  silver,  because  a  man  could  not  run  away  with 
r  al  estate.  Chicago  merchants,  business  men,  and  specu- 
Ltors  generally,  instead  of  paying  their  debts  with  their 
money,  bought  Michigan  wild  lands,  had  them  appraised, 
and  then  mortgaged  them  for  bills,  which  they  brought 
home  to  pay  their  debts  with.  Real  estate,  which  is  gener¬ 
ally  the  first  property  to  feel  the  effects  of  inflated  currency, 
soon  rose  in  value,  and  its  owners  paid  Michigan  another 


30  REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 

visit,  secured  a  higher  appraisal  of  their  lands,  and  ex¬ 
changed  the  second  mortgage  for  some  more  bills.  For 
about  a  year  we  had  excellent  times  again  in  Chicago.  But 
then  confidence  began  to  weaken.  Agents  were  sent  into 
the  country  to  buy  anything  they  could,  provided  Michigan 
money  would  be  taken.  Merchants  would  post  in  their 
windows  a  list  of  bills  that  they  would  receive  for  a  given 
day,  and  then  revise  the  list  for  the  next  day.  The  bubble 
soon  burst,  and  every  one  was  the  poorer  for  the  good  times 
he  had  enjoyed.  Manual  labor,  which  was  the  last  thing 
to  rise,  was  the  last  resting-place  of  the  worthless  bills. 

During  all  this  excitement  incident  to  our  great  variety 
of  irredeemable  paper,  our  sufferings  were  the  greatest  for 
postage  money,  which  had  always  to  be  in  specie,  and 
specie  was  then  at  from  50  to  100  per  cent  premium  in  our 
depreciated  currency.  But  postage  was  then  reckoned  by 
the  sheet  instead  of  by  weight.  The  result  was  that, 
although  friends  wrote  but  seldom,  their  letters  were  a  sort 
of  daily  journal.  When  anything  occurred  to  them,  they 
would  write  it  out :  and  when  they  had  filled  a  sheet,  often¬ 
times  writing  crossways  also,  they  mailed  it  as  soon  as  they 
could  raise  the  postage.  In  traveling  at  the  East,  I  have 
fallen  in  with  several  of  these  letters  written  in  early  times, 
whose  publication  would  add  materially  to  the  early  history 
of  our  city.  But  their  contents  were  so  mixed  up  with 
private  matters  appertaining  to  different  families  that  it  is 
impossible  to  obtain  possession  of  them.  As  our  laboring 
men  were  paid  in  currency,  it  often  took  more  than  a  day's 
work  to  pay  the  postage  on  a  letter  to  an  Eastern  friend. 

I  will  relate  an  anecdote  to  illustrate  this  matter.  Soon 
after  my  first  election  to  Congress,  a  young  man  who  had 
rendered  me  material  service,  made  me  a  call,  and  ob¬ 
served  that  postage  was  very  high ;  in  which  sentiment  I 
concurred,  and  promised  to  labor  to  reduce  it.  He  then 
remarked  that  I  would  have  the  franking  privilege;  to 
which  I  assented,  and  promised  to  labor  to  abolish  it. 
But  all  this  did  not  seem  to  interest  the  young  man,  and  I 
was  perplexed  to  know  the  drift  of  his  conversation. 
Finally,  with  great  embarrassment,  he  observed  that  he  was 
engaged  to  a  young  lady  at  the  East,  and  wanted  to  know 
if  I  could  not  frank  his  letters.  I  explained  that  there  was 
but  one  way  to  avoid  the  responsibilities  of  the  law,  and 
that  was  for  him  to  write  his  letters  to  me,  and  then  I 
could  write  a  letter  to  her,  calling  her  attention  to  his;  and 
she  could  have  the  same  privilege.  The  correspondence 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


31 


took  this  form  until  the  Congressman  from  her  district 
asked  me  if,  at  the  close  of  the  session,  I  was  going  home 
by  the  way  of  his  district.  I  did  not  comprehend  him 
until  he  stated  that  he  was  well  acquainted  in  the  family  of 
the  lady  with  whom  I  had  been  corresponding,  and  sug¬ 
gested  that,  if  I  was  going  to  be  married  before  the  next 
session,  it  would  be  pleasant  for  us  to  board  at  the  same 
house !  This  put  a  new  phase  upon  my  way  of  dodging  an 
abuse  of  the  franking  privilege,  and  1  wrote  to  my  constit¬ 
uent  that  he  must  bring  his  courtship  to  a  close,  and  he 
did  so.  Four  letters  from  him  and  three  from  her  covered 
the  transaction,  and  I  stand  indebted  to  this  day  to  the 
“conscience-fund'’  of  the  Post-Office  Department  for  $1.75. 
But  this  was  a  very  insignificant  sum  to  pay  for  the  secur¬ 
ing  of  a  good  Yankee  girl  to  the  West  in  those  days. 
Besides,  there  are  seven  in  the  family  now,  and  one  went 
to  the  War  ;  and  that  $1.75  was  an  insignificant  bounty  to 
pay  for  a  soldier.  After  all,  the  best  way  to  procure  sol¬ 
diers  is  to  breed  them  yourself.  But  every  time  any  one 
speaks  to  me  about  the  corruptions  and  defalcations  among 
public  men  of  the  present  day,  I  see  “mene,  mene,  tekel, 
upharsin”  written  on  the  wall!  Y  think  of  that  $1.75,  and 
say  nothing. 

Not  satisfied  with  the  real  estate  banking  experiment  in 
Michigan,  of  trying  to  make  easy  times  without  prompt 
specie  redemption,  some  of  the  speculators  of  Illinois 
thought  that  they  would  try  the  Michigan  system,  with 
State  bonds  substituted  for  lands.  The  result  of  this  last 
experiment  is  too  familiar  to  the  mass  of  our  citizens  to 
need  an  extended  comment.  Money  was  borrowed,  and 
State  bonds  were  purchased.  The  most  inaccessible  places 
in  our  State  were  sought  out  for  the  location  of  banks,  and 
bills  were  extensively  issued.  Money  was  abundant,  prices 
of  everything  advanced,  and  a  financial  millenium  was  once 
more  among  us.  The  consequences  of  this  system  were 
quite  as  disastrous  as  those  of  the  real  estate  system  of 
Michigan.  Considering  its  age,  Chicago  has  been  the 
greatest  sufferer  of  any  place  in  the  world  from  an  irre¬ 
deemable  paper-money  system.  Its  losses  in  this  respect 
will  nearly  approximate  those  from  the  great  fire.  And 
when  you  talk  to  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Chicago  about 
the  advantages  accruing  from  an  irredeemable  money  sys¬ 
tem,  you  waste  your  labor.  He  has  been  there ! 

One  of  our  early  amusements  was  that  of  wolf-hunting. 
Experienced  Indian  ponies  were  plenty  in  our  city.  The 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


last  hunt  I  remember  had  for  its  object  the  driving  of  as 
large  a  number  of  wolves  as  possible  up  to  the  ice  upon  the 
lake  shore,  and  as  near  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  as  could 
be  done.  There  was  to  be  no  shooting  until  the  wolves 
had  got  upon  the  ice.  No  person  was  to  fire  unless  his 
aim  was  entirely  over  ice,  and  then  to  the  eastward.  Two 
parties  started  early  in  the  morning,  one  following  the  lake 
shore  south,  and  the  other  the  river,  to  meet  at  a  common 
centre  not  far  from  Blue  Island.  Then  they  were  to 
spread  themselves  out,  cover  as  much  territory  as  possible, 
and  drive  the  wolves  before  them.  About  4  o’clock  in  the 
afternoon,  a  wolf  made  his  appearance  in  the  outskirts  of 
the  city.  The  news  was  spread,  and  our  people  turned  out 
on  foot,  keeping  along  the  margin  of  the  river,  so  as  to 
drive  the  wolves  upon  the  ice  of  the  lake  shore.  One  wolf 
after  another  made  his  appearance,  and  soon  we  saw  the 
horsemen.  The  number  of  wolves  was  about  the  same  as 
that  of  Samson’s  foxes.  The  men  were  so  eager  to  get  the 
first  fire  at  a  wolf  that  the  tramp  of  their  horses  broke  the 
ice;  and,  as  the  wind  was  rather  brisk,  it  broke  away  from 
the  shore,  with  the  wolves  upon  it,  and  drifted  northeast¬ 
erly,  very  much  in  the  same  direction  as  that  taken  by  the 
recent  unfortunate  balloon.  But  the  wolves,  unlike  the 
man  in  the  balloon,  took  no  reporter  on  board.  Men, 
women,  and  children  lined  the  bank  of  the  lake,  expecting 
to  see  the  ice  break  in  pieces  and  the  wolves  swim  ashore. 
But  it  did  not  do  so.  Our  people  watched  the  ice,  and 
could  see  the  wolves  running  from  side  to  side,  until  they 
faded  away  from  view.  When  I  took  my  last  look,  they 
appeared  about  the  size  of  mice. 

About  two  weeks  afterwards,  a  letter  appeared  in  a 
Detroit  paper  containing  an  account  of  some  farm  settle¬ 
ments,  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  being 
attacked  by  a  large  body  of  hungry  wolves.  They  de¬ 
stroyed  fowls  and  cattle,  and  for  several  days  spread  terror 
through  the  neighborhood.  We  always  supposed  that 
those  were  our  wolves,  but  our  hunters  never  laid  any 
claim  to  them,  as  the  news  of  their  arrival  was  so  long  in 
reaching  here.  And  as  an  evidence  of  the  tardy  transit  of 
merchandise  and  mails,  in  those  days,  I  will  state  that  our 
newspapers  of  September,  1835,  announce  the  arrival  of  a 
schooner,  with  goods,  twenty  days  from  New  York  City, 
the  shortest  time  ever  made.  A  newspaper  of  Dec.  24, 
1836,  announces  that  President  Jackson’s  message  to  Con¬ 
gress  was  only  twelve  days  on  its  route  from  Washington. 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


33 


It  was  published  here  Saturday,  but  the  editor  says  he 
would  have  issued  it  on  Thursday,  but  for  the  extreme  cold 
weather. 

The  first  divorce  suit  in  our  city  was  brought  in  1835. 

Land  speculation  had  become  so  brisk  here  in  1835,  drat 
from  Jan.  4th  to  Oct.  21st  of  that  year,  the  papers  announce 
that  Augustus  Garrett  (afterward  mayor  of  the  city)  had 
sold  land  at  his  auction-rooms  to  the  amount  of  $1,800,000. 
Our  people  had  commenced  litigation  so  much  that  at  the 
commencement  of  Cook  county  circuit  court  in  May,  1836, 
there  were  230  cases  on  the  civil  docket,  and  the  court  sat 
two  weeks.  Litigation  so  increased  that  in  May,  1837, 
there  were  700  cases  on  the  civil  docket.  The  newspapers 
pointed  to  the  alarming  fact  that  over  a  million  dollars  were 
involved  in  these  cases. 

The  West  Side  was  the  last  to  advance  in  population. 
Although  at  one  time,  prior  to  the  city’s  incorporation,  it 
undoubtedly  had,  as  it  does  now,  the  largest  portion  of  our 
inhabitants,  there  were  only  97  voters  on  the  whole  West 
Side  at  our  first  municipal  election.  These  were  mostly 
from  our  first  families,  as  there  were  living  there  about  that 
time  three  Indian  chiefs,  Sauganash,  Laframboise,  and 
Robinson,  (whose  Indian  name  was  Che-che-pin-gua),  with 
occasional  visits  from  Shaboneh ;  and  any  number  of 
Indians,  French,  and  mixed  breeds  related  to  them.  The 
West  Side  was  the  last  side  to  have  a  piano,  but  the  strains 
of  the  fiddle  were  always  to  be  heard,  and  the  war-dance  was 
no  uncommon  thing.  I  remember  attending  the  wedding 
of  one  of  Laframboise’s  daughters.  She  was  married  to  a 
clerk  in  the  post-office,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Medard  B. 
Beaubien,  heretofore  alluded  to  in  this  lecture.  The  clerk 
was  the  one  who  delivered  letters,  and  of  course  was  well 
known  to  all  our  citizens,  and  was  remarkably  popular. 
He  went  to  the  printing  office  and  had  50  cards  of  invita¬ 
tion  struck  off.  But  when  people  went  for  their  letters,  they 
politely  hinted  that  they  expected  a  card  of  invitation  to 
the  wedding.  So  he  was  compelled  to  go  to  the  printing- 
office  and  have  50  more  struck  off.  These  did  not  last  long, 
and  he  had  100  more.  Then  he  said  that  tickets  were  of 
no  use,  and  everybody  might  come ;  and  about  everyone 
did  come.  The  ceremony  was  performed  by  Rev.  Isaac  W. 
Hallam,  pastor  of  the  St.  James’  Episcopal  church  of  this 
city.  Everything  was  high-toned,  well  worthy  of  an  Indian 
chiefs  daughter.  The  house  was  of  no  particular  use,  as 


34 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


it  was  full  and  surrounded  with  people.  This  wedding  made 
a  strong  impression  on  my  mind,  as  it  was  the  first  time  I 
ever  saw  the  Indian  war-dance.  Some  of  the  guests  not 
only  had  their  tomahawks  and  scalping-knives,  bows  and 
arrows,  but  a  few  of  them  had  real  scalps  which  they  pre¬ 
tended  they  had  taken  in  the  various  Indian  wars.  Their 
faces  were  decorated  with  all  the  favorite  pictures  of  the 
Indians.  And  some  of  our  young  white  men  and  ladies 
played  the  part  of  the  Indian  so  well  that  it  was  difficult  to 
distinguish  them  from  the  real  ones.  It  has  been  a  wonder 
to  me  that,  while  our  professors  of  music  have  been  invent¬ 
ing  so  many  different  kind  of  dances,  none  of  them  have 
reproduced  the  Indian  war-dance,  which  to  me  is  much 
more  sensible  than  nine-tenths  of  those  which  are  now 
practiced  at  so  many  of  our  fashionable  parties.  I  presume 
that  the  trouble  is,  that  our  ladies  consider  that  the  Indian 
war-paint  extemporized  for  the  occasion,  would  interfere 
with  the  original  paint  put  on  before  they  left  their  homes, 
and  which  they  wished  to  remain  through  the  evening. 
One  of  our  young  men  claimed  that,  at  this  wedding,  amid 
the  crowd,  unperceived,  he  had  clipped  a  lock  from  the 
bride's  long,  flowing,  raven  hair.  Some  of  this  hair  he  had 
put  into  a  breast  pin,  and  very  soon  thereafter,  these 
Indian  bridal  breast-pins  were  about  as  thick  as  were  tire 
manufactures  from  our  old  court-house  bell  after  the  fire. 
One  man  who  had  worn  one  for  some  years  was  sudden!)' 
taken  sick,  and  expected  to  die.  He  called  his  wife  to  his 
bedside,  and  told  her  he  deemed  it  his  duty  to  state  to  her 
that  he  had  been  deceiving  her  for  years,  and  he  could  not 
die  in  peace  until  he  had  made  a  confession.  “  I  must  tell 
you  before  I  die,  that  the  hair  in  that  pin  I  have  been 
wearing  so  deceitfully,  is  not  the  hair  of  that  Indian  chief’s 
daughter,  but  your  own.”  With  pitiful  eyes  he  looked  to 
his  wife  for  forgiveness.  “And  is  that  all  that  troubles  you  ?" 
said  she;  “what  you  have  just  revealed  in  your  dying 
hour,  only  confirms  my  opinion  of  you.  I  always  supposed 
you  thought  more  of  me  than  you  did  of  a  squaw  !”  And 
now  I  suppose  you  think  that  that  man  died  in  peace. 
But  he  did  not.  He  is  alive  now.  There  is  occasionally 
an  instance  where  a  man  has  survived  a  confession  to  his 
wife.  But  where,  oh  where,  is  there  an  instance  of  a  woman 
who  has  survived  a  confession  to  her  husband  ? 

After  the  marriage  of  this  Indian  chief’s  daughter,  several 
of  our  wealthy  citizens  (wealthy  for  those  days)  gave  return 


BY  IiON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


35 


parties.  I  remember  attending  a  very  elegant  one  given  at 
the  house  of  Medard  B.  Beaubien.  I  think  the  fashionable 
society  of  Chicago  subsisted  for  about  two  months  upon 
that  wedding.  Mr.  Beaubien  has  given  me  several  invita¬ 
tions,  as  he  has  others  of  our  old  settlers,  to  visit  him  at  his 
residence  among  the  Pottawatomies.  He  told  me  that  I 
would  be  a  big  Pottawatomie!  He  gave  as  a  reason  for 
abandoning  Chicago,  where  he  was  a  merchant,  that  lie 
■would  rather  be  a  big  Indian  than  a  little  white  man.  He 
has  the  reputation  of  being  the  handsomest  man  that  was 
ever  in  this  city.  I  met  him  at  Washington,  a  few  years 
ago,  and  he  attracted  great  attention  for  his  remarkable 
personal  beauty. 

The  most  of  the  families  of  wealth,  education,  and  high 
•social  position,  about  the  time  of  our  incorporation,  were 
settled  on  the  North  Side.  The  “  Lake  House”  there  was 
the  first  brick  hotel  constructed  in  our  city,  and  it  was  as 
well  furnished  and  conducted  as  any  hotel  west  of  New 
York  city.  Upon  the  South  Side  were  most  of  the  business 
houses,  and  hotels  that  were  kept  for  the  accommodation 
■of  farmers  who  came  to  Chicago  with  their  loads  of  grain. 
Business  men  without  families,  clerks,  and  employes  of 
business  men,  generally  boarded  at  these  hotels  on  the 
South  Side,  often  sleeping  in  the  stores.  We  could  not 
have  anything  like  a  large  party  on  the  South  Side  without 
female  domestics.  The  fashionable  people  on  the  North 
Side  would  invite  our  young  men  to  their  parties  on  that 
side ;  but  when  we  had  a  party  on  the  South  Side,  instead 
of  coming  themselves,  the  ladies  would  send  their  domes¬ 
tics.  And  if  I  were  to  go  into  details  of  the  origin  of  the 
fashionable  society  of  Chicago  of  the  present  day,  I  could 
satisfy  our  young  men  that  whether  they  wanted  to  make 
money  or  raise  healthy  children,  the  best  thing  they  could 
now  do  would  be  to  imitate  the  example  of  some  of  our 
early  settlers,  and  marry  a  lady  who  dares  discharge  an  im¬ 
pudent  or  incompetent  maid,  and  can  do  the  work  herself 
till  she  can  get  a  better  one. 

There  was  considerable  ill-feeling  at  one  time  between 
the  North  and  South  Sides  in  consequence  of  this  discrim¬ 
ination.  But  politics  then,  as  now,  proved  a  great  leveler 
in  society.  There  was  an  elegant  party  given  at  the  Lake 
House  one  evening,  where  one  of  the  most  fashionable  men 
on  the  North  Side,  who  was  a  candidate  for  office,  thought 
he  would  throw  an  anchor  to  the  windward  by  dancing 


36  REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


with  a  South  Side  dressing-maid,  while  he  supposed  his  wife 
was  being  entertained  at  the  supper-table.  But  she  enter¬ 
ed  the  ball-room  while  the  dance  was  going  on.  At  once  a 
proud  heart  was  fired.  Quicker  than  thought  she  spoke  to- 
a  carriage-driver  who  stood  at  the  door  looking  in  :  “  Can. 
you  dance,  Mike?”  “It’s  only  for  the  want  of  a  partner,” 
was  the  response.  Seizing  him  by  the  hand,  she  said, 
“  Come  on  !”  and  turning  to  the  crowd  she  said,  “  This  is  a 
game  that  two  can  play  at !”  and  immediately  the  dance 
went  on,  amid  the  applause  of  the  whole  room  ;  the  man 
with  the  South  Side  dressing-maid,  and  his  wife  with  the 
South  Side  driver.  And  thus  free  suffrage  began  its  work 
against  artificial  social  position. 

Not  long  after  my  first  election  to  Congress,  upon  open¬ 
ing  my  mail  at  Washington,  I  found  a  letter  dated  in  the- 
western  part  of  Iowa,  then  far  in  the  wilderness,  reading  in 
this  way : 

“My  Dear  old  Chicago  Friend  :  I  see  you  have  been 
getting  up  in  the  world,  and  it  is  so  with  myself,  who  am 
the  sheriff’s  deputy  here,  and  I  also  keep  hotel.  I  am  the 
same  one  who  made  all  the  fuss  dancing  with  the  lady  at 
the  Lake  House  ball,  and  you  were  there;  and  the  girl  I 
married  is  the  same  domestic  her  husband  danced  with. 
The  judge  of  the  court  boards  at  our  house,  and  he  often 
dances  with  my  wife  at  the  big  parties  here,  where  we  are 
considered  among  the  first  folks,  and  I  reckon  my  wife 
Bridget  would  put  on  as  many  airs  as  the  lady  did  at  the 
Lake  House,  if  she  should  catch  me  dancing  with  do¬ 
mestics.  I  found  out  that  those  people  who  made  so  much 
fuss  at  the  Lake  House  were  not  considered  much  where 
they  came  from.  But  they  emigrated  to  Chicago,  and 
then  set  up  for  big  folks.  So  I  thought  I  would  marry 
Bridget  and  start  for  a  new  country  where  I  could  be  as  big 
as  anybody.  And  now  remember  your  old  Chicago  friend, 
and  tell  the  President  that  I  am  for  his  administration,  and 
would  like  to  get  the  post-office  here.” 

I  remember  that,  during  that  session  of  Congress  I 
boarded  at  the  same  house  with  Horace  Greeley,  and  he 
was  frequently  in  my  room ;  and  I  think  that  it  was  from 
this  letter  he  borrowed  his  sentiment,  “Go  west,  young 
man  !” 

In  our  early  times,  it  was  customary  to  excommunicate 
members  of  the  church  as  publicly  as  they  had  been 
admitted.  Now  we  hear  of  admissions,  but  never  of  ex- 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


37 


communications.  Professor  David  Swing  has  come  as  near 
filling  that  bill  as  anyone  we  have  heard  of  recently,  but 
future  historians  will  differ  as  to  whether  he  excommuni¬ 
cated  the  church  or  the  church  him.  I  remember  in  early 
times  here  of  a  clergyman's  dealing,  at  the  close  of  his 
service,  with  a  member,  one  of  our  well-known  citizens, 
somewhat  after  this  fashion:  “You  will  remember,  my 
hearers,  that  some  time  ago  Mr.  Blank  was  proposed  for 
admission  to  this  church,  and  after  he  had  passed  a  favor¬ 
able  examination  I  called  upon  everyone  present  ‘to  know 
if  there  was  any  objection,  and  no  one  rose  and  objected. 
It  becomes  my  painful  duty  now  to  pronounce  the  sentence 
of  excommunication  upon  him,  and  to  remand  him  back  to 
the  world  again  with  all  his  sins  upon  his  head.”  Where¬ 
upon  a  gentleman  rose  in  his  pew  and  said:  “And  now  the 
world  objects  to  receiving  him  \”  On  which  bursts  of 
laughter  filled  the  house;  and  the  precise  status  of  that 
man  -was  never  determined,  as  the  civil  courts  in  those  days 
had  not  begun  to  interfere  in  ecclesiastical  matters.  In 
these  times  the  church  would  undoubtedly  have  called 
upon  the  courts  to  grant  a  mandamus  upon  the  world  to 
receive  him,  or  the  world  would  have  applied  for  an 
injunction  to  prevent  the  church  from  excommunicating 
him. 

In  most  new  settlements  there  can  always  be  pointed  out 
some  particular  class  who  give  tone  to  the  early  society; 
such  as  the  Pilgrims  and  Puritans  of  New  England,  the 
Knickerbockers  of  New  York,  the  Huguenots  of 'South  Car¬ 
olina,  the  Creoles  of  New  Orleans;  and,  in  the  later  days, 
men  identified  with  manufacturing  interests,  mining  inter¬ 
ests,  railroad  interests,  or  with  seminaries  of  learning.  But 
here  in  Chicago,  in  early  times,  we  had  not  any  one 
prevailing  class  or  interest;  nor  was  there  any  sufficient 
number  of  people  from  any  particular  locality  to  exercise  a 
controlling  influence  in  moulding  public  sentiment.  We 
had  people  from  almost  every  clime,  and  of  almost  every 
opinion.  We  had  Jews  and  Christians,  Protestants,  Catho¬ 
lics,  and  infidels;  among  Protestants,  there  were  Calvinists 
and  Armenians.  Nearly  every  language  was  represented 
here.  Some  people  had  seen  much  of  the  world,  and  some 
very  little.  Some  were  quite  learned,  and  some  very  igno¬ 
rant.  We  had  every  variety  of  people,  and  out  of  these  we 
had  to  construct  what  is  called  society.  The  winters  were 
long;  no  railroads,  no  telegraphs,  no  canal,  and  all  we  had 


38  REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 

to  rely  upon  for  news  were  our  weekly  newspapers.  We 
had  no  libraries,  no  lectures,  no  theatres  or  other  places 
of  amusement.  If  a  stranger  attended  a  gathering  of  any 
kind,  the  mass  of  attendants  were  equally  strangers  with 
himself ;  and  the  gentlemen  outnumbered  the  ladies  by 
about  four  or  five  to  one.  You  ask  what  society  lived 
upon  in  those  days?  I  answer,  upon  faith.  But  faith 
without  works  is  dead.  From  the  close  to  the  opening  of 
navigation,  nearly  six  months  in  the  year,  we  had  nothing 
to  do.  Our  faith  consisted  principally  in  the  future  of 
Chicago.  Nearly  every  one  had  laid  out  a  town,  and  men 
exchanged  lots  with  each  other,  very  much  as  boys  swap 
jack-knives.  The  greatest  story-teller  was  about  as  big  a  man. 
as  we  had.  If  a  new  story  was  told,  it  was  soon  passed  all 
round  town,  and  due  credit  given  to  the  originator.  If  a 
new  book  appeared  in  our  midst,  that  was  loaned  around 
until  another  new  one  came  to  take  its  place.  Occasion¬ 
ally,  one  of  our  young  men  would  go  East  and  get  him 
a  wife,  and  then  we  discussed  her  for  a  while.  Dress¬ 
makers  would  invariably  make  her  the  first  call,  examine 
her  dresses,  and  then  go  from  door  to  door,  like  a  modern 
census-taker  or  tax-collector,  soliciting  orders  according  to 
the  latest  fashions. 

There  was  great  prejudice  between  the  emigrants  from 
the  South  and  those  from  the  East.  All  our  Eastern  peo¬ 
ple  were  considered  by  the  emigrants  from  the  South  as 
Yankees.  The  first  contest  was  about  the  convention  sys¬ 
tem  in  politics.  Southerners  denounced  it  vehemently  as 
a  Yankee  innovation  upon  the  old  system  of  allowing  every 
man  to  run  for  office  who  wanted  to  do  so,  and  taking 
his  chances.  Their  system  was  to  solicit  their  friends  to 
solicit  them  to  run  for  office,  and  then  they  reluctantly 
consented,  and  placed  themselves  in  the  hands  of  their 
friends.  All  Yankee  customs,  fashions,  and  innovations 
upon  their  established  usages  were  ridiculed  as  Yankee 
notions,  worthy  only  of  the  peddlers  of  wooden  clocks 
and  pewter  spoons. 

Thomas  Ford,  born  in  Uniontown,  Penn.,  in  1800,  who 
had  lived  in  Illinois  from  1804,  and  whose  father  had  been 
killed  by  the  Indians,  came  here  as  Judge,  and  did  more 
than  any  other  person  to  mollify  the  prejudices  of  the 
South  against  the  North.  He  early  foresaw  that  all  that 
the  early  settlers  of  Illinois  needed,  was  the  growth  of  more 
Yankee  thrift  among  them;  and  he  early  told  his  friends 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


39 


that  while  he  stayed  here  he  was  going  to  conform  to  all 
the  Yankee  notions,  as  fast  as  he  could  ascertain  what  they 
were,  and  wanted  his  acquaintances  to  inform  him  what  he 
should  do  to  prevent  embarrassment  by  non-conformity. 
I  met  him  on  his  way  to  Court  one  morning,  and  he  said 
he  had  just  been  detained  by  a  lady  complaining  that  he 
did  not  attend  her  party  on  a  previous  evening.  He  told 
her  that  he  was  very  fond  of  parties,  and  always  attended 
them  whenever  he  could,  but  that  he  held  Court  that  even¬ 
ing  until  it  was  too  late  to  go.  But  this  did  not  satisfy  her. 
She  wanted  to  know,  if  he  could  not  attend,  why  he  did 
not  send  a  “regret.”  He  did  not  understand  the  matter, 
and  made  an  excuse  that  the  Court  was  waiting,  informing 
her  that  he  would  converse  with  her  some  other  time. 
“But,”  said  he,  “what’s  that?  What  did  she  want  me  to 
do  when  I  couldn’t  go?”  I  informed  him  that  the  lady 
had  some  sisters  visiting  her  from  the  East,  and  she  had  a 
pride  in  having  them  write  home  that  among  her  friends 
were  the  very  best  people  in  Chicago,  and  among  them  the 
Judge  of  the  Court;  which  in  his  absence,  a  little  note  from 
him  would  establish.  “Capital,  capital,”  said  he.  “Why 
you  Yankees  have  a  motive  in  all  you  do.  You  turn  every¬ 
thing  to  account.  The  longer  I  live  among  Yankees  the 
more  I  see  why  it  is  that  they  are  getting  rich  and  overrun¬ 
ning  the  country.  Nobody  shall  complain  of  me  hereafter 
in  that  respect.  I’ll  have  some  note-paper  in  my  desk, 
and  if  the  lawyers  detain  me,  I’ll  send  the  Sheriff  with  one 
of  those  little  billet-doux.  If  there  is  any  other  thing 
that  you  Yankees  want  me  to  do  to  testify  my  high  appre¬ 
ciation  of  you,  please  let  me  know.”  The  next  day  the 
Judge  called  at  my  office  with  a  beautiful  little  note,  on 
gilt-edged  paper,  addressed  to  his  wife,  and  reading  as  fol¬ 
lows:  “Judge  Ford’s  compliments  to  Mrs.  Ford  and  the 
children,  and  regrets  that  he  cannot  be  home  to  have  the 
pleasure  of  their  society  on  Monday  next.”  Below  this 
was  the  following  postscript:  “The  above  is  one  of  the 
Yankee  notions,  and  when  you  want  to  go  anywhere  and 
cannot,  you  must  always  send  one  of  these,  which  they 
call  a  ‘regret.’  Please  tell  this  to  the  neighbors,  and  also 
tell  them  that  when  I  return  I  shall  have  a  great  many 
stories  to  tell  them  about  different  Yankee  notions.” 

Not  long  after,  I  was  at  Oregon,  Ogle  County,  where  he 
resided,  and  where  he  was  then  holding  Court.  When  it 
became  time  for  the  Sheriff  to  adjourn  the  Court,  the 


40 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


Judge  said,  “Mr.  Sheriff,  don’t  forget  that  party  at  my 
house  to-night.”  And  the  Sheriff  exclaimed,  “Hear  ye! 
Hear  ye!  The  Judge  of  this  Court  requests  me  to  say, 
that  he  and  his  lady  would  be  pleased  to  see  you  all  at  his 
house  to-night,  both  citizens  and  strangers!  Now  this  hon¬ 
orable  Court  stands  adjourned  until  to-morrow  morning  at 
9  o’clock.”  It  was  wonderful  to  notice  the  mixture  of 
people  wrho  unceremoniously  visited  him  that  evening — 
attorneys,  jurors,  suitors,  and  citizens  generally,  with  their 
wives.  One  person  seemed  as  much  at  home  as  another. 
There  was  a  grand  welcome  for  all.  He  was  the  very 
prince  of  hospitality.  His  small  house  could  not  contain 
the  crowd,  and  many  stood  outside  and  mingled  in  the 
entertainments.  The  Judge  passed  through  the  assembly 
with  a  waiter  on  which  was  a  decanter  of  Madeira  wine, 
and  wine-glasses.  His  wife  passed  around  with  another 
waiter  loaded  with  cake.  Said  the  Judge  to  some  Yankee 
gentlemen,  “This  is  the  way  we  original  Illinoisans  give  a 
party.  We  invite  all;  the  latch-string  is  out;  all  come  who 
can,  and  those  who  cannot  come  say  nothing.  They  never 
write  any  ‘regrets.’  Indeed,  a  great  many  of  our  prominent 
men  at  the  South  could  not  do  it.  I  have  known  men  in 
our  Legislature  who  could  not  write.”  Then  he  passed 
away  into  a  group  of  people  who  were  natives  of  the  South, 
and  told  them  how  he  got  himself  into  trouble  with  a  Chi¬ 
cago  lady  by  not  writing  her  a  little  billet-doux  explaining 
to  her  why  he  did  not  go  to  her  party,  when  he  wanted  to 
go  more  than  she  wanted  to  have  him.  He  often  uttered 
the  sentiment  that  he  did  not  wish  to  live  in  a  locality 
where  his  house  v?as  not  large  enough  to  entertain  his 
neighbors  without  making  selections.  He  said  he  must 
either  build  him  a  larger  house  or  move  into  a  distant 
settlement.  When  1  came  away  I  expressed  the  wish 
that  I  might  soon  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  and  his 
neighbors  in  Chicago.  Whereupon  the  Judge  jocosely 
observed,  “We  will  either  come  and  see  you  or  send  you  a 
billet-doux.”  But  a  Southern  Illinoisan,  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  exclaimed,  “Yes,  when  you  Yankee  peddlers  are 
putting  up  v'ooden  clocks  and  pew'ter  spoons  for  this 
region,  tell  them  to  put  up  a  little  gold-edged  note-paper  for 
us,  and  have  them  to  be  sure  that  the  gold  isn’t  bronze !” 

But  the  people  of  this  State  settled  the  house  question 
for  Judge  Ford.  For,  at  the  next  Gubernatorial  election, 
he  was  made  its  Chief  Magistrate,  and  as  Governor  he 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


41 


rendered  his  name  dear  to  every  Illinoisan  by  his  almost 
superhuman,  but  eminently  successful,  efforts  to  complete 
the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  and  to  restore  the  lost 
credit  of  our  State.  He  died  not  long  after  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  office,  and  left  to  his  children  only  the  pro¬ 
ceeds  of  the  copyright  of  his  History  of  Illinois, — a  book 
which,  when  once  commenced,  no  reader  will  lay  aside 
until  he  has  finished  it.  In  this  work  is  the  only  authorita¬ 
tive  history  of  the  settlement  of  the  Mormons  in  this  State, 
and  their  final  expulsion  of  it,  with  the  assassination  of 
their  leader,  Joseph  Smith.  In  his  preface  he  says:  “The 
author  has  written  about  small  events  and  little  men.  And 
in  all  those  matters  in  which  the  author  has  figured  person¬ 
ally,  it  will  be  some  relief  to  the  reader  to  find  that  he  has 
not  attempted  to  blow  himself  up  into  a  great  man.” 

One  of  our  most  reliable  places  of  entertainment  was  the 
Post-Office  while  the  mail  was  being  opened.  The  Post- 
Office  was  on  the  west  side  of  Franklin  street,  cornering  on 
South  Water  street.  The  mail  coach  was  irregular  in  the 
time  of  its  arrival,  but  the  horn  of  the  driver  announced  its 
approach.  Then  the  people  would  largely  assemble  at  the 
Post-Office,  and  wait  for  the  opening  of  the  mails,  which  at 
times,  were  very  heavy.  The  Postmaster  would  throw  out 
a  New  York  paper,  and  some  gentleman  with  a  good  pair  of 
lungs  and  a  jocose  temperament  would  mount  a  dry -goods 
box  and  commence  reading.  Occasionally  I  occupied  that 
position  myself.  During  exciting  times,  our  leading  men  would 
invariably  go  to  the  Post-Office  themselves,  instead  of  send¬ 
ing  their  employes.  The  news  would  be  discussed  by  the 
assemblage,  and  oftentimes  heavy  bets  would  be  made,  and 
angry  words  passed.  If  it  was  election  times,  there  would 
be  two  papers  thrown  out,  of  opposite  politics,  two  reading 
stands  established,  two  readers  engaged,  and  the  men  of 
each  party  would  assemble  around  their  own  reader.  This 
condition  of  things  would  last  until  the  mails  were  opened, 
when  the  gathering  would  adjourn  until  the  next  blowing  of 
the  driver’s  horn.  This  gathering  afforded  the  best  oppor¬ 
tunity  for  citizens  to  become  acquainted  one  with  another. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  I  was  introduced  to  a  Lieu¬ 
tenant  in  the  army  who  had  just  come  to  take  charge  of  the 
Government  works  in  this  city.  He  had  great  confidence 
in  our  future,  and  expressed  his  intention  to  invest  all  his 
means  here.  Pie  rvas  eventually  ordered  away  to  some 
other  station,  but  kept  up  his  interest  in  Chicago.  His 


42 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


taxes  became  high,  too  high  in  proportion  to  his  pay  as  an 
army  officer  and  the  support  of  his  family.  His  wife  had 
once  placed  the  price  of  a  new  dress  in  a  letter  which  was 
to  leave  by  the  return  of  a  mail  which  brought  her  husband 
an  exorbitant  tax-bill.  He  expressed  his  intention  of 
ordering,  by  the  same  mail,  the  sale  of  his  Chicago  pro¬ 
perty,  as  his  means  could  endure  his  taxes  no  longer.  His 
wife  ordered  her  letter  from  the  mail,  took  out  the  money, 
and,  saying  that  she  preferred  the  Chicago  property  to  a 
new  dress,  insisted  that  he  should  use  it  to  pay  his  Chicago 
taxes.  The  next  summer  he  visited  our  city,  and  rented  his 
property  for  enough  to  pay  the  taxes.  That  lady  lost  her 
dress  for  that  year,  but  she  gained  thereby  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  celebrated  (Kingsbury)  estates  in  our  city. 
I  mention  this  fact  to  warn  our  ladies  that  they  should 
never  ask  for  a  new  dress  until  they  find  their  husband’s 
tax-receipt  in  his  wallet;  and,  at  the  same  time,  I  would 
caution  husbands  not  to  try  to  carry  so  much  real  estate 
as  to  make  their  poorly-clad  wives  and  children  objects  of 
charity  when  they  make  their  appearance  in  the  streets. 

Our  early  settlers  were  distinguished  for  their  liberal 
patronage  of  all  religious  denominations,  and  we  had  one 
clergyman  who  created  as  much  sensation  as  any  we  have 
had  since  his  day.  Like  all  really  influential  sensational 
preachers,  he  was  an  original.  He  dealt  freely  in  pathos 
and  in  ridicule.  If  we  cried  once,  we  were  sure  to  laugh 
once,  in  every  sermon.  Unlike  clergymen  now  called  sen¬ 
sational,  he  never  quoted  poetry,  nor  told  anecdotes,  nor 
used  slang  phrases,  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a  laugh. 
There  was  nothing  second-handed  about  him.  I  allude  to 
Rev.  Isaac  T.  Hinton,  a  Baptist  clergyman,  who  was  the 
only  settled  minister  on  the  South  Side  when  I  came  here 
in  1836.  His  residence  was  near  the  corner  of  VanBuren 
street  and  Fifth  avenue,  then  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city, 
and  was  shaded  by  native  oaks.  He  was  a  man  who  never 
seemed  so  happy  as  when  he  was  immersing  converted 
sinners  in  our  frozen  river  or  lake.  It  is  said  of  his  con¬ 
verts  that  no  one  of  them  was  ever  known  to  be  a  back¬ 
slider.  If  you  could  see  the  cakes  of  ice  that  were  raked 
out  to  make  room  for  baptismal  purposes,  you  would  make 
up  your  mind  that  no  man  would  join  a  church  under 
such  circumstances  unless  he  joined  to  stay.  Immersions 
were  no  uncommon  thing  in  those  days.  One  cold  day, 
about  the  first  part  of  February,  1839,  there  were  17  ini- 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


43 


mersed  in  the  river  at  the  foot  of  State  street.  A  hole 
about  20  feet  square  was  cut  through  the  ice,  and  a  platform 
was  sunk,  with  one  end  resting  upon  the  shore.  Among 
the  17  was  our  well-known  architect,  John  M.  VanOsdell, 
alderman-elect,  said  to  be  now  the  only  survivor.  There 
are  many  now  living  who  were  baptized  by  Mr.  Hinton; 
among  them  is  the  wife  of  Hon.  Thomas  Hoyne,  mayor- 
elect.  But  recently  our  Baptist  friends  have  made  up  their 
minds  that  our  lake  has  enough  to  do  to  carry  away  all 
the  sewerage  of  the  city,  without  washing  off  the  sins  of  the 
people.  It  is  also  claimed  for  Mr.  Hinton  that  no  couple 
he  married  was  ever  divorced.  He  was  just  as  careful  in 
marrying  as  he  was  in  baptizing ;  he  wanted  nobody  to  fall 
from  grace. 

It  was  the  custom  in  those  days  to  give  clergymen  dona¬ 
tion  parties.  Now,  we  have  surprise  parties,  where  the 
lady  is  expected  to  endanger  her  health  by  hard-working 
all  day  in  order  to  prepare  her  house  for  a  surprise  in  the 
evening.  The  only  surprise  about  them  is  the  magnificence 
of  the  preparations.  Then  the  party  was  advertised  in  the 
newspapers,  and  a  notice  posted  in  the  vestibule  of  the 
church. 

It  was  customary  in  those  days  for  all  denominations  to' 
patronize  liberally  the  clergymen  of  other  denominations. 

Mr.  Hinton  had  a  family  of  children  nearly  grown  up, 
and  consequently  all  the  young  people,  as  well  as  the  old, 
would  be  there  to  have  a  grand  frolic  at  his  donation  party. 
There  were  no  religious  services,  and  the  house  was  com¬ 
pletely  taken  possession  of  by  the  multitude.  People 
would  send  just  what  they  happened  to  have,  and  it  would 
look  at  times  as  if  Parson  Hinton  was  going  into  the  storage- 
business.  Cords  of  wood  would  be  piled  before  the  door  ; 
flour,  salt,  pork,  beef,  box-raisins,  lemons,  oranges,  herring, 
dry-goods,  anything  and  everything.  After  the  donation 
party  was  over,  there  was  always  a  large  quantity  left  which 
he  did  not  need,  but  he  knew  exactly  where  to  place  it — 
among  the  destitute  of  the  city.  Probably  no  occasions 
are  remembered  with  more  pleasure  by  the  old  settlers  of 
this  city  than  those  gatherings  at  the  hospitable  mansion  of 
the  jolly  English  preacher,  with  his  attractive  laugh,  who 
always  enjoyed  a  good  story,  and  could  generally  tell  a 
better  one.  There  are  many  married  couples  in  this  city 
who  will  tell  you  that  there  was  where  they  first  met. 

The  first  Sabbath  I  passed  in  this  city,  my  good  board- 


44 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EAREY  CHICAGO. 


ing-house  mistress  (Mrs.  John  Murphy,  present  on  this 
platform  to-day)  took  me  with  her  to  his  church,  as  was  the 
custon  of  Christian  ladies  with  strange  young  men  in  those 
days.  He  told  me  that  godliness  was  profitable  unto  all 
things ;  and  he  was  right.  Christian  men  and  women 
have  not  kept  up  this  good  old  custom  of  taking  young 
men,  strangers  in  the  city,  to  church  with  them,  and  using 
their  efforts  to  lead  them  to  a  high  social  position  with 
their  religious  instruction.  Strange  young  men  now  in  this 
city  are  told  that  there  is  a  moral  infirmary  opened  here, 
entirely  for  their  benefit,  where  the  seats  are  all  free,  and 
men  are  supported  expressly  to  save  such  as  they  are  from 
destruction.  I  never  knew  a  young  man  to  amount  to  any¬ 
thing  if  he  had  no  respect  for  his  social  position ;  and  that 
position  can  never  be  attained  where  young  men  are  turned 
away  for  religious  instruction,  to  places  to  visit  which  they 
would  not  think  of  inviting  a  young  lady  to  leave  a  respect¬ 
able  church  to  accompany  them.  All  honor  to  those 
clergymen  and  Christians  of  Chicago  who  have  their  weekly- 
church  sociables,  where  young  men  are  brought  forward 
into  respectable  social  intercourse,  as  well  as  moral  de¬ 
velopment.  The  celebrated  Indian  chief,  Black  Hawk, 
covered  the  whole  ground  when  he  said  to  Gen.  Jackson, 
“  You  are  a  man,  and  I  am  another!” 

Not  feeling  able  to  sustain  the  expense  of  a  whole  pew, 
I  engaged  one  in  partnership  with  an  unpretending  saddle 
and  harness  maker  (S.  B.  Cobb),  who,  by  a  life  of  industry, 
economy',  and  morality,  has  accumulated  one  of  the  largest 
fortunes  in  our  city,  and  still  walks  our  streets  with  as  little 
pretense  as  when  he  mended  the  harnesses  of  the  farmers 
who  brought  the  grain  to  this  market  from  our  prairies.  The 
church  building  in  those  days  was  considered  a  first-class 
one,  and  we  had  a  first-class  pew  therein,  and  the  annual 
expense  of  my  half  of  the  pew  was  only  $12.50  more  than 
it  would  have  been  in  our  Saviour’s  time.  People  wonder 
at  the  rapid  increase  in  the  price  of  real  estate  at  the  west ; 
but  it  bears  no  comparison  with  the  increase  in  the  price  of 
gospel  privileges.  A  good  clergyman  is  well  worth  all  that 
a  liberal-hearted  congregation  may  see  fit  to  pay  him.  But 
the  people  ought  to  cry  out  against  the  reckless  waste  of 
money,  steadily  increasing,  in  the  erection  of  extravaga'nt 
church  edifices.  And  the  pride  in  such  matters  seems  to 
eat  up  all  other  considerations.  During  the  recent  panic, 
a  Christian  lady  of  this  city',  with  a  large  family  of  children, 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


45 


whose  husband  was  suddenly  reduced  from  opulence  to 
penury,  astonished  me  by  observing,  with  tears  in  her  eyes, 
that  her  most  grievous  affliction  was  that  she  would  be 
compelled  to  give  up  her  pew  in  the  church,  which  was  one 
of  the  most  expensive  in  the  city,  and  take  one  in  a  cheaper 
edifice.  And  yet  our  people  sing  in  every  church,  “  God  is 
present  everywhere  !” 

At  the  close  of  service  one  day,  Parson  Hinton  said  he 
thought  Chicago  people  ought  to  know  more  about  the 
devil  than  they  did.  Therefore  he  would  take  up  his  his¬ 
tory,  in  four  lectures  ;  first,  he  would  give  the  origin  of  the 
devil ;  second,  state  what  the  devil  has  done ;  third,  state 
what  the  devil  is  now  doing ;  and  fourth,  prescribe  how 
to  destroy  the  devil.  These  lectures  were  the  sensation 
for  the  next  four  weeks.  The  house  could  not  contain  the 
mass  that  flocked  to  hear  him,  and  it  is  a  wonder  to  me 
that  those  four  lectures  have  not  been  preserved.  Chicago 
newspaper  enterprise  had  not  then  reached  here.  The 
third  evening  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten  in  this  city ;  as 
it  would  not  be  if  one  of  our  most  eminent  clergymen,  with 
the  effective  manner  of  preaching  that  Mr.  Hinton  had, 
should  undertake  to  tell  us  what  the  devil  is  doing  in  this 
city  to-day.  The  dritt  of  his  discourse  was  to  prove  that 
everybody  had  a  devil ;  that  the  devil  was  in  every  store, 
and  in  every  bank,  and  he  did  not  even  except  the  church. 
He  had  the  devil  down  outside  and  up  the  middle  of  every 
dance ;  in  the  ladies’  curls,  and  the  gentlemen’s  whiskers. 
In  fact,  before  he  finished,  he  proved  conclusively  that  there 
were  just  as  many  devils  in  every  pew  as  there  were  per¬ 
sons  in  it ;  and  if  it  were  in  this  our  day,  there  would  not 
have  been  swine  enough  in  the  Stock-Yards  to  cast  them 
into.  When  the  people  came  out  of  church,  they  rvould 
ask  each  other,  “What  is  your  devil?”  And  they  would 
stop  one  another  in  the  streets  during  the  week,  and  ask, 
“What  does  Parson  Hinton  say  your  devil  is?”  The 
fourth  lecture  contained  his  prescription  for  destroying  the 
devil.  I  remember  his  closing :  “  Pray  on,  brethren  and 
fri  nds  ;  pray  ever.  Fight  as  well  as  pray.  Pray  and  fight 
un  til  the  devil  is  dead  ! 

The  world,  the  flesh,  the  devil, 

Will  prove  a  fatal  snare, 

Unless  we  do  resist  him, 

By  faith'  and  humble  prayer.  ” 

In  this  grand  contest  with  his  Satanic  Majesty,  he,  our 


4 6  REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


leader,  fought  gloriously,  but  he  fell  early  in  the  strife.  We, 
his  hearers,  have  kept  up  a  gallant  fight  to  this  day,  but, 
judging  by  our  morning  papers,  the  devil  is  still  far  from 
being  dead.  Yet  we  dealt  him  some  heavy  blows  at  the 
recent  election ! 

An  interesting  institution  was  the  ferry-boat  between  the 
North  and  South  Sides.  It  was  a  general  intelligence  office. 
Business  was  done  principally  upon  the  South  Side,  while 
most  of  the  dwelling-houses  were  upon  the  North  Side. 
The  ferryman  knew  about  every  person  in  town,  and  could 
answer  any  question  as  to  who  had  crossed.  The  streets 
had  not  then  been  raised  to  their  present  grade,  nor  the 
river  deepened  or  widened,  and  the  boat  was  easily  acces¬ 
sible  to  teams.  It  was  pulled  across  by  a  rope,  and  was 
not  used  enough  to  kill  the  green  rushes  which  grew  in 
the  river.  If  a  lady  came  upon  the  South  Side  to  pass 
an  evening,  she  would  leave  word  with  the  ferryman  where 
her  husband  could  find  her.  Bundles  and  letters  were  left 
with  him  to  be  delivered  to  persons  as  they  passed.  He 
was  a  sort  of  superannuated  sailor,  and  if  he  had  not  sailed 
into  every  port  in  the  world,  he  had  a  remarkable  faculty 
of  making  people  think  he  had.  His  fund  of  stories  was 
inexhaustible,  and  he  was  constantly  spinning  his  interesting 
yarns  to  those  who  patronized  his  institution.  Like  most 
sailors,  he  could  not  pull  unless  he  sung,  and  to  all  his 
songs  he  had  one  refrain  with  a  single  variation.  His  voice 
was  loud  and  sonorous.  If  he  felt  dispirited,  his  refrain 
was,  “And  I  sigh  as  I  pull  on  my  boat.”  If  he  felt  jolly 
(and  people  took  particular  pains  to  make  him  so),  his 
refrain  was,  “And  I  sing  as  I  pull  on  my  boat.”  All  night 
long  this  refrain  was  disturbing  the  ears  of  those  who  dwelt 
near  the  banks  of  the  river.  Song  after  song  was  com¬ 
posed  for  him,  in  the  hope  of  changing  his  tune,  but  it 
would  not  be  long  before  he  would  attach  to  it  his  usual 
refrain.  One  of  our  musical  composers  composed  a  qua¬ 
drille,  which  our  young  folks  used  to  dance  in  the  evening 
on  the  ferry,  during  certain  portions  of  which  they  would 
all  join  in  old  Jack’s  refrain,  and  sing,  “And  we’ll  dance 
as  we  ride  on  the  boat.”  There  was  a  little  boy  who  took 
great  delight  in  Jack's  company,  whose  parents  lived  on 
the  margin  of  the  river  near  the  ferry,  and  as  in  the  last 
of  his  sickness  he  was  burning  with  a  violent  fever,  nothing 
would  quiet  him  but  the  sound  of  old  Jack’s  voice.  Old 
Jack  had  just  sung,  “And  I  sigh  as  I  pull  on  my  boat,” 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


47 


when  the  boy  whispered  his  last  words  to  his  mother,  “And 
I  die  while  Jack  pulls  on  his  boat!”  Jack  heard  of  this, 
and  his  lungs  became  stronger  than  ever.  Racking  both 
his  memory  and  his  imagination  for  songs,  for  weeks  all 
night  long  he  sung,  with  his  plaintive  refrain,  “Charlie  dies 
while  Jack  pulls  on  his  boat.”  A  distinguished  poetess 
traveling  at  the  west  about  this  time,  was  tarrying  at  the 
Lake  House,  and  heard  of  the  incident.  She  wrote  for  a 
New  York  magazine  some  beautiful  lines  appropriate  to 
the  last  words  of  the  child  and  the  circumstances.  These 
were  reproduced  in  our  Chicago  papers,  but  I  have  in  vain 
sought  to  find  them.  Some  of  our  old  scrap-books  un¬ 
doubtedly  contain  them,  and  I  would  like  to  be  the  instru¬ 
ment  of  their  republication. 

Old  Jack  went  to  church  one  Sunday,  and  the  clergyman 
preached  from  the  text,  “Whosoever  shall  be  ashamed  of 
Me  and  My  words,  of  him  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  ashamed 
when  He  shall  come  in  His  own  glory.”  After  church  was 
over,  the  clergyman  took  Jack  to  task  for  making  so  much 
noise  on  his  ferry-boat,  and  told  him  he  was  going  to  have 
him  removed.  “You  can’t  do  it,”  said  Jack.  “Why  not?” 
■said  the  clergyman.  “Your  sermon,  sir,  your  sermon!  You 
said  we  must  make  a  practical  application  of  it.”  “How 
can  you  apply  that  to  your  position?”  “In  this  way,”  said 
Jack;  “the  Mayor  appoints  a  ferryman.  I  will  just  tell 
him,  he  that  is  ashamed  of  me  and  of  my  boat,  of  him  will 
I  be  ashamed  when  I  go  to  the  polls  on  the  day  of  elec¬ 
tion!”  Jack  was  not  removed.  But  he  went  one  fall  to 
the  south  with  the  robins;  but,  unlike  the  robins,  he  returned 
no  more.  He  probably  saw  the  coming  bridge. 

It  was  customary  during  the  winter  to  give  a  series  of 
dancing-parties  at  central  points  between  here  and  the  Fox 
River,  along  the  line  of  some  of  our  main  traveled  roads, 
notices  of  which  were  generally  given  in  the  newspapers. 
We  used  to  have  much  more  snow  than  we  have  now,  and 
large  sleigh-loads  of  people  would  be  fitted  out  from  the 
city,  to  meet  young  people  from  different  parts  of  the 
country.  People  in  the  country  settlements  were  generally 
emigrants  from  the  more  cultivated  portions  of  the  east. 
United  States  Senator  Silas  Wright  once  told  me  that  he 
could  enumerate  a  hundred  families,  the  very  flower  of  the 
agricultural  interest  of  St.  Lawrence  County,  who  had  emi¬ 
grated  to  west  of  Chicago.  These  settlers  were  not  always 
poor;  they  were  often  men  of  large  families  who  came  here 


48  REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CHICAGO. 


to  obtain  a  large  quantity  of  contiguous  land,  so  as  to  settle 
their  children  around  them.  The  custom  at  these  parties 
was  to  leave  Chicago  about  4  o’clock  in  the  afternoon, 
take  supper  on  the  way  out,  and  engage  breakfast  for  the 
morning;  and,  after  dancing  all  night,  getting  back  to  the 
city  about  9  or  10  o’clock.  The  hotels  in  the  country  were 
frequently  built  of  logs,  but  whether  of  logs  or  boards,  were 
generally  built  in  one  style.  Cooking-rooms,  bar-room, 
sitting-rooms,  were  below,  and  above  was  one  large  hall, 
which  could  be  used  for  religious  services  on  Sunday,  or 
public  meetings  on  a  weekday,  and,  by  suspending  blankets, 
could  be  divided  into  sleeping-rooms.  Above  was  the  attic, 
which  could  be  used  for  storage  when  the  hall  was  cleared, 
and  also  for  dressing-rooms  at  parties.  Ladies  and  gen¬ 
tlemen  could  more  easily  find  their  wearing  apparel  when 
suspended  from  nails  driven  into  the  beams  of  the  building 
than  they  can  now  from  the  small  dressing-rooms  where 
the  clothing  is  in  constant  danger  of  being  mixed  together. 
I  remember  one  of  those  occasions  when  the  country  resi¬ 
dents  had  begun  the  dance  before  those  from  the  city  had 
reached  there.  Country  ladies  were  passing  up  and  down 
the  ladder  to  the  dressing-room.  But  the  city  ladies  would 
not  ascend  the  ladder  until  it  had  been  fenced  around  with 
blankets.  There  were  always  on  these  occasions  mothers 
present  from  the  country,  who  attended  the  young  people 
to  look  after  the  care  of  their  health,  such  as  seeing  that 
they  were  properly  covered  on  their  going  home  from  a 
warm  room,  as  physicians  were  very  scarce  in  the  country, 
and  it  was  a  great  distance  for  many  of  them  to  send  for 
medicines.  These  country  matrons  took  it  much  to  heart 
that  the  young  ladies  from  the  city  were  so  particular  in 
having  the  ladder  fenced  off,  and  were  very  free  in  the 
expression  of  their  views  on  the  subject  to  the  elderly 
gentlemen  present.  During  the  evening  a  sleigh-load  was 
driven  up  containing  a  French  danseuse  from  Chicago,  of 
considerable  note  in  those  days;  and  it  was* not  long  after 
she  entered  the  hall  before  the  floor  was  cleared  for  her  to 
have  an  opportunity  to  show  her  agility  as  a  fancy  dancer. 
When  she  began  to  swing  around  upon  one  foot,  with  the 
other  extended,  one  of  these  country  matrons,  with  a  great 
deal  of  indignation,  ran  across  the  hall  to  her  son,  and  said, 
“I  don’t  think  it  is  proper  for  our  young  folks  to  see  any 
such  performance  as  this,  and  now  you  go  right  down  and 
tell  the  landlord  that  we  want  some  more  blankets,”  and  the 


BY  HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


49 


boy  started  before  the  last  part  of  the  sentence  was  heard, 
“and  I’ll  have  her  fenced  off  by  herself,  as  the  city  ladies 
did  the  ladder!”  Her  remarks  were  passed  from  one  to 
another,  and  the  company  was  loudly  applauding  them, 
when  the  applause  was  greatly  increased  by  the  entrance 
of  the  landlord  with  some  blankets  under  his  arm.  The 
more  the  applause  increased,  the  more  animated  became 
the  danseuse,  who  took  it  all  for  herself.  The  fancy  dance 
was  finished,  but  the  merriment  had  such  an  effect  that  one 
of  our  city  young  men  took  down  the  blankets  around  the 
ladder,  and  for  the  remainder  of  the  evening  the  exposed 
ladder  and  the  nimble  French  danseuse  ceased  to  attract 
attention. 

I  have  thus  made  you  a  few  selections  from  my  large 
casket  of  reminiscences  of  the  amusements  of  early  Chicago. 
But  I  give  them  as  a  mere  appendix  to  my  historical  lec¬ 
ture,  and  do  not  wish  them  considered  as  any  part  of  it, 
as  I  could  have  ended  without  them,  and  then  have  given 
you  a  lecture  of  ordinary  length.  If  anyone  thinks  them 
inappropriate  to  this  occasion,  I  wish  to  say  that  I  respect¬ 
fully  concur  in  his  views.  If,  however,  they  have  served 
to  compensate  any  of  you  for  the  tedium  of  the  more 
historical  portion  of  it,  I  will  waive  the  question  of  their 
appropriateness,  and  express  my  gratification  at  having 
given  them. 


SUPPLEMENTAL  NOTES. 


After  Mr.  Wentworth’s  Lecture  had  been  published 
in  the  newspapers,  lie  received  the  following  information : 

FROM  FULTON  COUNT\ . 

The  County  Commissioners’  Court  met,  for  the  first  time,  3  June, 
1823.  July  5,  1823,  John  Kinzie  was  recommended  for  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  at  Chicago.  Sept.  2,  1823,  Ordered  that  an  election  be  held 
at  John  Kinzie’s  house,  for  one  major  and  company  officers  in  17th 
Regiment  of  Illinois  Militia;  John  Kinzie,  Alexander  Wolcott,  and 
John  Hamlin  to  conduct  said  election,  upon  the  last  Saturday  in  Sep¬ 
tember  instant. 

June  3,  1823,  Ordered  by  the  Court,  that  Amherst  C.  Rausam  be 
recommended  to  fill  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  vice  Samuel 
Fulton,  resigned.  He  qualified  before  the  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court 
of  P'ulton  Co.,  July  2,  1823. 

If  he  resided  at  Chicago,  he  robs  John  Kinzie  of  the  honor  of  being 
our  first  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

July  5,  1823,  Ordered  that  the  Treasurer  pay  to  A.  C.  Rausam 
the  sum  of  four  dollars,  for  taking  a  list  of  the  taxable  property  at 
Chicago,  in  said  County,  and  collecting  the  same,  so  soon  as  he  (the 
said  Rausam)  shall  pay  the  same  over  to  the  County  Treasurer,  in 
such  money  as  he  received. 

Sept.  3,  1823,  Ordered  that  Amherst  C.  Rouseur  [Rausam?]  hand 
over  to  County  Treasurer  amount  of  tax  received  and  collected  at 
Chicago,  in  same  kind  of  money  he  received. 

April  27,  1824,  Sheriff  Eads  released  from  paying  money-tax  col¬ 
lected  at  Chicago  by  Rousseur  [Rausam?] 

It  is  so  hard  to  decypher  these  French  names  in  American  manu¬ 
scripts  that  this  name  may  not  be  the  correct  one.  There  was  a 
Eustache  Roussain  and  also  a  Captain  Ransom  in  the  employ  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  in  this  region,  in  1821. 

It  may  be  that  he  was  not  a  defaulter,  but  collected  his  taxes  in 
furs,  local  money,  etc.,  and  refused  to  give  them  up  until  he  received 
his  four  dollars  in  cash. 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


51 


The  same  name  appears  as  grand  juror,  October,  1S23. 

Among  the  grand  jurors,  in  October,  1823  and  April,  1824,  were 
Elijah  Wentworth,  Sr.  In  Sept.,  1824,  Hiram,  son  of  Elijah  Went¬ 
worth,  Sr.,  was  added.  In  March  and  Sept. ,  1824,  Elijah  Wentworth, 
Jr.  (our  first  Coroner),  and  John  Holcomb  (who  married  his  sister), 
were  upon  the  petit  jury.  The  Wentworths  were  then  living  in  what 
is  now  Fulton  Co.  Whence  they  removed  to  Dodgeville,  Wisconsin, 
and  did  not  come  to  Chicago  until  1830. 


CHICAGO  MARRIAGES  RECORDED  IN  FULTON  CO. 

By  John  Hamlin,  J.P.,  July  20,  1823,  Alexander  Wolcott  and 
Ellen  M.  Kinzie. 

By  same,  October  3rd,  1823,  John  Ferrel  and  Ann  Griffin. 

[The  Clerk  sends  this  as  a  Chicago  marriage;  but  I  can  learn  noth¬ 
ing  of  the  parties.] 

It  is  claimed  that  the  marriage  of  Dr.  Wolcott,  Indian  agent  here, 
in  1823,  was  the  first  in  Chicago.  He  died  in  1830,  voting  on  the  24th 
July,  of  that  year.  His  widow,  daughter  of  John  Kinzie,  married 
George  C.  Bates,  of  Detroit,  Mich.  He  is  now  living  in  Salt  Lake 
City.  Col.  Thomas  Owens  was  afterwards  Indian  agent,  and  may 
have  succeeded  him.  Charles  Jewett,  of  Kentucky,  was  Dr.  Wolcott’s 
predecessor,  and  our  first  Indian  agent. 

John  Hamlin  died  at  Peoria,  in  April  of  this  year.  A  writer  in  the 
Peoria  Transcript  says,  that  in  1823,  he  accompanied  William  S. 
Hamilton  to  Green  Bay,  where  he  had  a  contract  to  supply  Fort 
Howard  with  beef,  and  he  arrived  there  July  2d,  1823.  On  his  way 
back,  Mr.  Hamlin  performed  the  marriage  ceremony.  Whilst  here, 
he  made  an  engagement  with  John  Crafts  to  enter  the  service  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  which  frequently  brought  him  to  Chicago. 


NOTES  UPON  THE  TAX  PAYERS  OF  1825. 

1.  Gen.  John  B.  Beaubien  was  living  at  Macinac  when  the  Fort 
there  was  surrendered  to  the  British,  in  1812.  He  married  a  sister 
of  the  Indian  Chief,  Joseph  Laframboise,  was  brought  here  in  1819, 
by  the  American  Fur  Company  to  oppose  Mr.  Crafts,  had  several 
children  (some  of  whom  now  live  here),  was  one  of  the  principal  men 
in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Co.,  and  his  last  wife  with  several 
of  his  children  was  upon  the  platform  at  the  delivery  of  this  lecture. 
I  attended  the  marriage  of  his  daughter,  in  early  days,  to  N.  D. 
Woodville. 

2.  Jonas  Clybourne  came  from  Pearisburgh,  Giles  Co.,  Virginia,  with 


52 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


sons  Archibald  and  Henley.  Archibald  came  in  1823  and  went  back 
to  Virginia  for  his  father's  family.  His  widow,  who  was  a  Miss  Gallo¬ 
way,  from  the  region  now  known  a-  Marseilles,-  LaSalle  Co.,  Illinois, 
was  on  the  platform  at  the  delivery  of  this  lecture,  and  has  several  chil¬ 
dren.  Henley  Clybourne  married  Sarah  Benedict,  and  has  two  sons 
living  at  Fort  Scott,  Kansas.  Archibald  Clybourne  was  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  1831. 

3.  John  K.  Clark,  was  half  brother  to  Archibald  Clybourne,  and 
married  Permelia,  daughter  of  Stephen  J.  Scott,  who  now  lives,  his 
widow,  at  Deerfield,  Lake  Co.,  Ill.,  with  her  daughter.  There  was 
no  son  to  live  to  have  children. 

4.  John  Crafts  was  a  trader  sent  here  by  Mr.  Conant,  of  Detroit,  and 
had  a  trading  house  at  Hardscrabble,  near  Bridgeport,  and  monopo¬ 
lized  the  trade  until  the  American  Pur  Company  sent  John  B.  Beaubien 
here  in  1S19.  In  1S22,  Mr.  Crafts  went  into  the  employment  of  the 
Fur  Company  as  superintendant,  Mr.  Beaubien  being  under  him.  He 
died  here  single  in  1823,  at  Mr.  Kinzie's  house,  and  he  succeeded  him. 
Trior  to  this,  Mr.  Kinzie  was  a  silver-smith  and  made  trinkets  for  the 
Indians. 

5.  Jeremie  Claremont  was  employed  by  the  American  Fur  Com¬ 
pany  in  1S21,  for  the  trade  of  the  Iroquois  River. 

8  &  9.  Claude  and  Joseph  Laframboise  were  brothers.  The  widow 
of  the  latter  was  living,  at  last  dates,  with  her  son-in-law,  Medard  B. 
Beaubien,  at  Silver  Lake,  Shawnee  Co.,  Kansas. 

11.  Peter  Piche,  is  believed  to  have  been  the  one  who  lived  at 
Piche's  Grove,  near  Oswego,  Illinois,  alluded  to  by  Mrs.  Kinzie  in  her 
“Waubun.” 

14.  Antoine  Oilmette  is  the  person  spoken  of  in  Mrs.  Kinzie's  book, 
“Waubun.'’  His  daughter  Elizabeth,  married  Jan.  23,  1S27,  our  first 
Irishman,  Michael  Welch. 


NOTES  UPON  THE  VOTERS  OF  1S26. 

1.  Augustine  Banny,  said  to  have  been  a  travelling  cattle  dealer, 
supplying  Forts. 

2.  Henry  Kelly,  had  no  family  here,  worked  for  Samuel  Miller. 

4.  Cole  Weeks,  American,  was  a  discharged  soldier,  had  no  family, 

worked  for  John  Kinzie.  He  married  the  divorced  wife  of  - 

Caldwell,  brother  of  the  first  wife  of  Willis  Scott.  Caldwell  had  a 
fondness  for  Indian  hunting  and  trading,  and  is  supposed  to  have  gone 
off  and  died  with  them.  A  man,  answering  his  description,  by  the 
name  of  Caldwell,  was  living,  not  long  since,  at  Kershena,  Shawanaw 
Co..  Wisconsin.  Caldwell’s  wife,  who  married  Cole  Weeks,  was  sister 
to  Benjamin  Hall,  of  Wheaton,  DuPage  Co..  Ill.,  and  Caldwell  was 
cousin  to  Archibald  Clybourne,  and  came  from  the  same  place  in  Vir¬ 
gin’.  a. 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


53 


14.  Francis  Laducier,  had  no  family,  died  at  Archibald  Clyboume’s. 

21.  Joseph  Pothier,  married  Victor  Miranda,  a  half  breed,  was 
brought  up  in  John  Kinzie’s  family,  was  living  recently  at  Milwaukee. 

24.  David  McKee,  lives  at  Aurora,  Kane  Co.,  Ill.,  and  married  23 
January,  1827,  Wealthy,  daughter  of  Stephen  J.  Scott.  He  was  bom 
on  Hog  Creek,  Pewtown,  Loudoun  Co.,  Virginia,  in  1800. 

25.  Joseph  Anderson,  had  no  family. 

31.  Martin  VanSicle,  was  living  recently  near  Aurora,  Ill.  He  had 
a  daughter,  Almira.  Willis  Scott  remembers  going  to  Peoria  for  a 
marriage  license  for  her. 

34.  Edward  Ament,  was  living  recently  not  far  from  Chicago;  some 
say  in  Kankakee  Co.,  Ill. 

The  most  of  those  having  French  names  were  employes  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  or  hunted  and  traded  on  their  own  respon¬ 
sibility;  and,  when  Chicago  was  abandoned  as  a  Fur  Trading  Post, 
they  moved  further  into  the  frontier  country,  in  pursuit  of  their 
business. 


NOTES  UPON  THE  VOTERS  OF  1830. 

1.  Stephen  J.  Scott  was  bom  in  Connecticut,  moved  to  Chicago 
from  Bennington,  Wyoming  Co.,  N.Y.,  lived  many  years  at  Naper¬ 
ville,  Ill.,  and  died  there,  where  his  son  Wiliiard  now  lives.  His  son 
Willis  now  lives  in  Chicago,  and  was  upon  the  platform  when  this 
lecture  was  dejivered.  Several  of  his  daughters  are  mentioned  in  these 
notes. 

4.  Barney  H.  Laughton,  lived  in  his  last  days  near  what  is  now 
Riverside,  on  the  O’Plaine  River,  and  his  wife  was  sister  to  the  wife  of 
onr  first  Sheriff,  Stephen  Forbes. 

5.  Jesse  Walker,  was  a  Methodist  preacher,  finally  settled  at  Wal¬ 
ker’s  Grove,  now  Plainfield,  in  this  State. 

8.  James  Kinzie,  was  natural  son  of  John  Kinzie.  His  mother  and 
Archibald  Clyboume’s  mother  were  sisters.  His  first  wife  was  Rev. 
William  See’s  daughter.  He  died  at  Racine,  Wis.,  where  his  second 
wife  is  said  to  be  now  living.  His  own  sister  Elizabeth  Kinzie  married 
Samuel  Miller,  the  hotel  keeper. 

9.  Russell  E.  Heacock,  died  at  Summit,  Cook  Co.,  Ill.,  in  1849, 
and  he  has  sons  in  this  vicinity. 

12.  John  L.  Davis,  said  to  have  been  an  Englishman,  and  a  tailor. 

17.  Stephen  Mack,  son  of  Major  Mack  of  Detroit,  married  an  Ind¬ 
ian,  was  clerk  in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  and 
finally  settled  in  Pickatonica,  Winnebago  Co.,  in  this  State. 

18.  Jonathan  A.  Bailey,  was  father-in-law  to  the  Post  Master,  John 
S.  C.  Hogan.  Mr.  Hogan  held  the  office  until  1837,  when  Sidney 
Abell  was  appointed.  Mr.  Hogan  died  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  in  1866. 


54 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


Mr.  Bailey  was  Postmaster  before  Hogan. 

19.  Alexander  Me,  is  written  plain  enough ;  but  whether  the  last 
part  is  Dollo,  Dole,  Donell,  Dowtard,  etc.,  it  is  difficult  to  tell,  as  it  is 
written  so  differently  in  different  places. 

27  &  28.  John  Baptiste  Secor  and  Joseph  Bauskey,  died  of  cholera 
in  1832.  Bauskey  married  a  daughter  of  Stephen  J.  Scott. 

32.  Peresh  LeClerc,  was  an  Indian  interpreter,  brought  up  by  John 
Kinzie. 


MORE  RETURNS  FROM  PEORIA  COUNTY. 


The  Clerk  of  Peoria  Co.  has  sent  me  the  following,  which  are  not 
alluded  to  in  the  lecture : 

SPECIAL  FLECTION 

For  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Constable,  at  the  house  of  James  Kinzie, 
in  the  Chicago  Precinct  of  Peoria  County,  State  of  Illinois,  on 
Saturday,  24th  day  of  July,  1830. 

Total,  John  S.  C.  Hogan,  for  Justice  of  the  Peace,  33  votes,  Archi¬ 
bald  Clybourne,  22  votes,  Russell  Rose,  1  vote.  Total,  56. 

For  Constable,  Horatio  G.  Smith,  32  votes,  Russell  Rose,  21  votes, 
John  S.  C.  Hogan,  1  vote.  Total,  54. 


X  James  Kinzie. 

2  Jean  Baptiste  Beaubien  1S25.  26 

3  Alexander  Wolcott.  1825 

4  Augustin  Bannot.  [Banny?]  1826 

5  Medard  B.  Beaubien. 

6  Billy  Caldwell.  1826 

7  Joseph  Laframboise.  1825,  1826 

8  John  Mann. 

9  John  Wellmaker. 

10  Stephen  J.  Scott. 

1 1  Thomas  Ayers. 

12  Russell  Rose. 

13  Lewis  Ganday  or  Louis  Gauday. 

14  Michael  Welch. 

15  William  P.  Jewett. 

16  John  VanHorn. 

17  Gabriel  Acay. 

18  Joseph  Papan. 

19  Williard  Scott. 

20  Peter  Wycoffi 

21  Stephen  Mack. 

22  James  Galloway,  [father  of  Mrs. 

Archibald  Clybourne.] 

23  David  VanStow.  [VanEaton?] 

24  James  Brown. 

25  Samuel  Littleton. 

26  Jean  Baptiste  Laducier. 

27  Joseph  Thibeaut. 

28  Lewis  Blow. 


29  Jean  Baptist  Secor.  1826 

30  Mark  Beaubien. 

3 1  Peresh  Laclerc. 

32  Matthias  Smith.  . 

33  James  Garow. 

34  Alexander  Robinson.  1825,  1826 

35  Samuel  Miller.  [Landlord.] 

36  Jonas  Clybourne.  1825,  1S26 

37  John  Joyal. 

38  Peter  Frique. 

39  Jean  Bapt.  Tombien.  [Toubien?] 

40  John  L.  Davis. 

41  Simon  Debigie. 

42  A.  Foster. 

43  George  P,  Wentworth. 

44  Alex.  McDowtard.  [McDole?] 

45  Jonathan  A.  Bailey. 

46  David  M’Kee.  1S25,  1S26 

47  Joseph  Pothier.  1826 

48  Henry  Kelly.  1826 

49  Antoine  Ouilmette.  1825,  1826 

50  David  Hunter.  [General.] 

51  James  Engle. 

52  John  K.  Clark.  1S25,  1826 

53  Russell  E.  Heacock. 

54  Leon  Bourassea. 

55  Archibald  Clybourne.  1S26 

56  Horatio  G.  Smith. 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


55 


John  S.  C.  Hogan,  the  successful  candidate  for  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
did  not  vote.  Archibald  Clybourne  voted  (for  Justice)  for  Russell 
Rose,  who  was  the  candidate  for  Constable,  voted  for  John  S.  C. 
Hogan,  for  the  office  of  Constable. 

But  the  two  candidates  for  Constable  came  squarely  up  to  the  mark, 
and  voted  for  each  other. 

Mr.  Llogan  was  Postmaster  in  Chicago  prior  to  the  election  of 
Martin  VanBuren  as  President,  who  appointed  Sidney  Abell  to  suc¬ 
ceed  him.  He  built  the  first  frame  house  on  the  South  Side.  It  was 
near  the  north-west  corner  of  Lake  and  Franklin  streets. 

The  judges  of  this  election  were  Alexander  Wolcott,  John  B.  Beau- 
bien,  and  James  Kinzie.  The  clerks  were  Medard  B.  Beaubien  and 
Billy  Caldwell,  the  Sauganash. 

19  Williard  Scott  was  a  son  of  Stephen  J.  Scott;  and  now  lives  at 
Naperville,  Ill. 

42  There  was  a  Lieut.  - Foster  here  about  that  time. 

50  General  Hunter,  U.  S.  Army,  married  Maria  H.  Kinzie,  born 
1807,  the  only  child  of  John  Kinzie,  now  living. 

51  There  was  a  Lieut.  - Engle  stationed'  here  about  that  time. 


SPECIAL  ELECTION 


For  Justice  of  the  Peace,  at  the  house  of  James  Kinzie,  Chicago  Pre¬ 
cinct,  Peoria  County,  State  of  Illinois,  on  Thursday,  the  25th  day  of 
November,  1830. 


1  Archibald  Clybourne. 

2  James  Kinzie. 

3  John  Wellmaker. 

4  John  Mann. 

5  Russell  E.  Heacock. 

6  Peter  Wycoff. 

7  Billy  Caldwell. 

8  Jesse  Walker. 

9  Enoch  Thompson. 

10  Medard  B.  Beaubien. 

11  David  VanEaton. 

12  John  B.  Beaubien. 

13  Stephen  J.  Scott. 


14  Matthias  Smith. 

15  David  McKee. 

16  William  Jewett. 

17  Florace  Miner. 

18  Samuel  Miller. 

19  Stephen  Forbes. 

20  William  See. 

21  Peter  Muller. 

22  Jonas  Clybourne. 

23  John  B.  Bradain. 

24  John  Shedaker. 

25  Peter  Frique. 

26  John  K.  Clark. 


Total,  Stephen  Forbes,  18.  William  See,  8. 

Mr.  Forbes  was  the  first  Sheriff  of  Cook  Co.,  and  married  a  sister  to 
the  wife  of  Barney  IT.  Laughton.  William  See  is  mentioned  in  Mrs. 
Kinzie’s  “Waubun,”  and  was  a  Methodist  preacher. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  Forbes  taught  school  here  in  1831. 

In  this  contest,  each  candidate  voted  for  his  opponent. 

The  judges  at  this  election  were  James  Kinzie,  John  B.  Beaubien, 
and  Archibald  Clybourne.  The  clerks  were  Russell  E.  Heacock  and 
Stephen  J.  Scott. 

6  Peter  Wycoff,  was  a  discharged  soldier,  and  worked  for  Archibald 
Clybourne. 

9  There  was  a  Lieut.  - Thompson  stationed  here  about  that  time. 


56 


SUPPLEMENTAL. 


CHICAGO  MARRIAGES,  RECORDED  IN  PEORIA  CO. 

By  John  Kinzie.  24  April,  1826.  Daniel  Bourassea  and  Theotis 
Amwaiskie. 

By  John  Kinzie.  29  July,  1S26.  Samuel  Miller  and  Elizabeth  Kin- 
zie.  [Mr.  Miller  kept  a  hotel  on  the  North  Side,  near  the  forks,  and 
near  where  Kinzie  street  crosses  the  River.  He  moved  to  Michigan 
City,  and  died  there.  His  wife  was  full  sister  to  James  Kinzie,  and 
natural  daughter  of  John  Kinzie.  Her  mother  was  sister  to  Archibald 
Clybourne’s  mother.] 

By  John  Kinzie.  28  September,  1826.  Alexander  Robinson  and 
Catherine  Chevalier.  [Che-che-pin-gua  died  on  his  reservation  on  the 
O’Plaine  River,  in  this  county,  where  his  daughter  now  lives;  his  wife 
and  sons  being  dead.] 

By  John  B.  Beaubien.  5  May,  1828.  Joseph  Bauskey  and  Widow 
Deborah  (Scott)  Watkins.  [He  died  of  cholera  in  1832.  His  wife 
was  daughter  of  Stephen  J.  Scott.] 

By  John  B.  Beaubien.-  15  April,  1830.  Samuel  Watkins  and  Mary 
Ann  Smith. 

By  John  B.  Beaubien.  11  May,  1830.  Michael  Welch  and  Eliza¬ 
beth  Ouilmette.  [He  was  our  first  Irishman,  and  his  wife  was  daughter 
of  Antoine  Ouilmette,  of  Ouilmette’s  Reservation,  in  this  Co.] 

By  John  B.  Beaubien.  18  May,  1830.  Alvin  Noyes  Gardner  and 
fulia  Haley.  [He  moved  to  Blue  Island.] 

By  Rev.  William  See.  3  August,  1830.  John  Mann  and  Arkash 
Sambli. 

By  Rev.  William  See.  1  November,  1830.  Willis  Scott  and  widow 
Lovisa  B.  Caldwell.  [They  have  been  heretofore  alluded  to.] 

By  Rev.  William  See.  7  November,  1830.  B.  H.  Laughton  and 
Sophia  Bates.  [They  have  been  heretofore  alluded  to.] 


GOV.  FORD’S  HOUSE. 

Hon.  Jas.  V.  Gale,  an  old  settler  of  Oregon,  Ogle  Co.,  Ill.,  writes 
me:  “that  the  house  from  which  Thomas  Ford  was  elected  Governor, 
was  one  storied,  16  or  iS  by  38,  had  a  parlor,  dining-room,  and  two 
bedrooms,  with  a  small  cooking  room  attached.  It  has  been  taken 
down  some  years.  He  settled  here  as  early  as  1836,  and  made  a  claim 
south  of  that  of  John  Phelps.  He  sold  it  to  John  P'ridley,  who  now 
owns  it ;  and  the  same  log  cabin,  which  Judge  Ford  erected  and  occu¬ 
pied  until  he  built  his  frame  house,  still  stands.  It  is  18  feet  square 
and  11  logs  high.  He  was  a  man  of  small  stature,  careless  in  his  dress, 
of  good  talents,  put  on  no  airs,  popular  with  all,  a  good  neighbor,  able 
lawyer,  congenial  and  sociable.” 


INDEX 


TO 


“Early  Chicago:” — Second  Lecture, 

(No.  7  of  Fergus’  Historical  Series.) 

'  '  / 

BY 

HON.  JOHN  WENTWORTH,  LL.D., 

Delivered  Sunday,  May  7,  1876. 

[This  Index  was  prepared  by  Mr.  Wentworth,  August,  1SS1.] 


A. 

Abel,  Sidney,  53,  55. 

Acay,  Gabriel,  54. 

Adams,  John,  9. 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  6,  7,  8,  17. 
Ament,  Edward,  16,  53. 

Anderson,  Joseph,  16,  53. 
Aruwaiskie,  Theotis,  56. 

Aurora  (schooner),  24. 

Ayers,  Thomas,  54. 

B. 

1  Bailey,  Jonathan  A.,  16,  53,  54. 
Banny,  [Barry  or  Bannot;]  Augustine, 
16,  52.  54- 

Bates,  George  C.,  51. 

Bates,  Sophia,  56. 

Bauskey,  Joseph,  17,  54,  56. 
Beaubien,  John  B.,  15,  16,  18,  22,  24, 
5i,  52,  54.  55.  56. 

Beaubien,  Mark,  17,  24,  25,  54. 
Beaubien,  Medore  B.  [Medard  B.], 
16,  18,  22,  33,  35,  52,  54.  55- 
Benedict,  Sarah,  52. 

Benton,  Thomas  H.,  8. 

Black  Hawk  (Indian  chief),  4,  10,  44. 
Blow,  Lewis,  54. 

Bogardus,  John  L.,  15. 

Bourassea,  Daniel,  16,  56. 

Bourassea,  Leon,  16,  54. 

Bradain  [Beaubien],  John  B.,  55. 
Breese,  Sidney,  12,  14. 

Brown,  James,  16,  54. 


Brown,  Jesse,  19. 

Brown,  Thomas  C.,  19. 

Brown,  William  H.,  11. 

Buchanan,  James,  8. 

Buell,  E.,  24. 

Burr,  Aaron,  9. 

C. 

Caldwell,  Archibald,  52,  53. 
Caldwell,  Billy,  (Sauganash,  Indian 
chief),  14,  16,  17,  18,  25,  33,  54,  55. 
Calhoun,  John,  3. 

Calhoun,  John  C.,  7,  17. 

Caldwell,  Lovisa  B.,  56. 

Cass,  Gen.  Lewis,  8,  22. 

Catie,  Joseph,  16. 

Chamblee  (Shabonee,  Indian  chief), 

'  33- 

Charlevoix,  Pierre  Francois  Xavir  de, 
10—13. 

Chavellea,  John  Baptiste,  16. 
Chavellie,  Peter,  16. 

Che-che-pin-qua  (Alexander  Robin¬ 
son,  Indian  chief),  15,  16,  33,  54,  56. 
Chevalier,  Catherine,  56. 

Chi-ka-gou  (Indian  chief),  12. 
Clairmore  [Clermont?],  Jeremiah,  16. 
Clark,  John  K.,  15,  16,  17,  18,  52, 
54,  55- 

Clay,  Henry,  7,  17. 

Clermont  [Clairmore?],  Jeremiah,  15, 
16,  52. 

Clybourn,  Archibald,  16,  17,  18,  52, 
53,  54,  55,  56. 


EARLY  CHICAGO. 


53 

Clybourn,  Henly,  52. 

Clybourn,  Jonas,  15,  16,  17,  51,  54, 
55- 

Cobb,  Silas  B.,  44. 

Conant,  ,  52. 

Cook,  Daniel  P.,  17,  25. 

Coutra,  Louis,  15. 

Crafts,  John,  15,  16,  51,  52. 
Crittenden,  John  J.,  8. 

D. 

Davis,  Jefferson,  7,  26. 

Davis,  John  L.,  16,  53,  54. 
Dearborn,  Gen.  Henry,  7. 

Debigie,  Simon,  54. 

Displattes,  Basile,  16. 

Dodge,  Gen.  Henry,  8. 

Dorr,  Cap/,  of  Schooner  Tracy,  S. 


E. 

Eads,  Abner,  15,  50. 

Edwards,  Goz\  Ninian,  17,  25. 

Engle,  Lt.  James,  54,  55. 

F. 

Fair  Play  (revenue  cutter),  24. 
Fergus,  Robert,  26. 

Ferrel,  John,  51. 

Field,  Darby,  19. 

Fillmore,  Millard,  7,  8. 

Forbes,  Stephen,  53,  55. 

Forbes,  Mrs.  Stephen,  55. 

Ford,  Gov.  Thomas,  38,  39,  40,  56. 
Poster,  Lt.  Amos,  54,  55. 

Fridley,  John,  56. 

Frique,  Peter,  16,  54,  55. 

Fulton,  Samuel,  50. 

G. 

Gage,  Gen.  Thomas,  1 1 . 

Gale,  James  V.,  56. 

Galloway,  James,  54. 

Galloway,  Miss,  married  Archibald 
Clybourn,  52. 

Ganday,  Lewis,  17,  54. 

Gardner,  Alvin  Noyes,  56. 

Garie,  ,  12. 

Garow,  James,  54. 

Garrett,  Augustus,  33. 

Griffin,  Ann,  51. 


H. 

Hale,  Artimas,  9. 

Haley,  Julia,  56. 

Hall,  Benjamin,  52. 

Hallam,  Rev.  Isaac  \V.,  33. 
Hamilton,  Mrs.  Gen.  Alexander,  9. 
Hamilton,  William  S.,  51. 

Hamlin,  John,  50,  51. 

Harrison,  Gen.  William  H.,  8. 
Heacock,  Russell  E.,  16,  18,  53,  54, 
55- 

Heartless  (schooner),  24. 

Henry  Clay  (steamboat),  5. 

Hinton,  Rev.  Isaac  T.,  42,  43,  45. 
Hogan,  John  S.  C.,  16,  53,  54,  55. 
Holcomb,  John,  51. 

Iloyne,  Thomas,  43. 

Hubbard,  Gurdon  S.,  12. 

Hull,  Gen.  William,  25. 

Hunter,  Gen.  David,  54,  55. 

J- 

Jackson,  Gen.  Andrew,  8,  17,  28,  32, 
44- 

Jamboe,  Paul,  16. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  9,  12. 

Jewett,  William  P.,  54. 

Jewett,  William,  55. 

Johnston,  Samuel,  16. 

Jowett  [or  Jewett],  Charles,  51.  . 
Joyal,  John,  54. 

Junio,  Peter,  16. 

K. 

Kearney,  Gen.  Stephen  W.,  19. 
Keating,  William  H.,  22. 

Kelley,  Henry,  16,  52,  54. 

Kennison,  David,  9. 

Kerehival,  Benjamin  B.,  22. 

Kimball,  Walter,  3. 

Kingsbury,  Julius  J.  B.,  42. 

Kinzie,  Elizabeth,  53,  56. 

Kinzie,  Ellen  M.,  51. 

Kinzie,  James,  16,  18,  26,  53,  54,  55, 

56. 

Kinzie,  John,  15,  16,  17,  iS,  23,  50, 

5L  52,  53.  54.  55.  56. 

Kinzie,  Mrs.  Juliette  A.,  52,  55. 
Kinzie,  Maria  H.,  55. 

L. 

Laducier,  Francis,  16,  17,  53. 


INDEX. 


Laducier,  John  Baptiste,  54. 
Lafortune,  John  Baptiste,  16. 
Lafromboise,  Claude,  15,  16,  52. 
Lafromboise,  Francis,  sr. ,  16. 
Lafromboise,  Francis,  jr. ,  16. 
Lafromboise,  Joseph,  15,  16,  17,  33, 
SL  52,  54-  ' 

Larant,  Alexander,  16. 

Laughton,  Barney  H.,  16,  53,  55,  56, 
LeClerc,  Peresh  (LeCIair,  Peter),  17, 
54- 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  8. 

Littleton,  Samuel,  54. 

Long,  Stephen  H.,  22. 

M. 

Mack,  Major ,  53. 

Mack,  Stephen,  16,  53,  54. 

Madison,  James,  8,  9. 

Madison,  Mrs.  James,  8,  9. 

Malast,  John  Baptiste,  16. 

Mann,  John,  16,  54,  55,  56. 

Martin,  Laurant,  17. 

Marquette,  Rev.  James,  13. 
Maximillian,  Emperor ,  20. 

McDoIe,  Alexander,  16,  54. 

McKee,  David,  15,  16,  22,  23,  24, 

53.  54.  55- 
McNeil,  John,  24. 

Miller,  Samuel,  53,  54,  55,  56. 

Mills,  Benjamin,  26. 

Miner,  Horace,  55. 

Miranda,  Victoria,  53. 

Monroe,  James,  8. 

Muller,  Peter,  55. 

Murphy,  John,  25,  44. 

O. 

Orleans,  Duchess  of  13. 

Ouilmette  (Willmette),  Antoine,  15, 
16,  .52,  54,  56. 

Ouilmette,  Elizabeth,  52,  56. 

Owen,  Thomas  J.  V.,  51. 

P. 

Papan,  Joseph,  54. 

Pepot,  Joseph,  16. 

Perrot,  Nicholas,  13. 

Phelps,  John,  56. 

Piche,  Peter,  15,  52. 

Pierce,  Franklin,  8. 

Polk,  James  K.,  7,  8,  20. 


59 

Pothier,  Joseph,  16,  23,  33,  53,  54- 

R. 

Ransom,  Capt.,  50. 

Rausom,  Amherst  C.,  15,  50. 
Reynolds,  Gov.  John,  17. 

Robinson,  Alexander,  (Che-che-pin- 
qua,  Indian  chief),  15,  16,  33,  54, 
56. 

Rose,  Russell,  54,  55. 

Roussain,  Eustache,  50. 

Rousser  (Rausam),  Amherst  C.,  15, 
50. 

Russell,  Benjamin,  16. 

S. 

Sambli,  Arkash,  56. 

Sauganash  (Billy  Caldwell,  Indian 
chief),  14,  16,  17,  18,  25,  33,  54, 
55- 

Scott,  Deborah,  56. 

Scott,  Permelia,  52. 

Scott,  Stephen).,  16,  52,  53,  54,  55, 
56. 

Scott,  Wealthy,  53. 

Scott,  Willard,  53,  54,  55. 

Scott,  Willis,  52,  53,  56. 

Schuyler,  Gen.  Philip,  9. 

Secor,  John  Baptist,  16,  17,  54. 

See,  Rev.  William,  16,  53,  55,  36. 
Shabonee  ( Chamblee,  Indian  chief),  33. 
Shedaker,  John,  55. 

Sheldon  Thompson  (steamboat),  5. 
Smith,  Horatio  G.,  54. 

Smith,  Joseph,  41. 

Smith,  Mary  Ann,  56. 

Smith,  Matthias,  54,  55. 

St.Clair,  Gen.  Arthur,  11. 

Strode,  James  M.,  26. 

Sullivan,  Jeremiah,  20. 

Sullivan,  Lt. - ,  20,  21. 

Superior  (steamboat),  5. 

Swing,  Rrv.  David,  37. 

T. 

Tappan,  Benjamin,  6. 

Taylor,  Augustine  D.,  3. 

Taylor,  Zachary,  8. 

Tecumseh  (Indian  chief),  13,  14,  17. 
Thibeaut,  Joseph,  16,  54. 

Thompson,  Lt.  J.  L.,  55. 

Thompson,  Enoch,  55. 


6o 


EARLY  CHICAGO. 


Thompson,  Samuel,  n,  17. 

Titus,  Capt. - ,  24. 

Todd,  John,  1 1. 

Tombien  (or  Toubien),  Jean  Baptiste, 

54- 

Tracy  (schooner),  8. 

Tyler,  John,  8. 

V. 

VanBuren,  Martin,  8,  55. 

VanEaton,  David,  16,  54,  55. 
VanHorn,  John,  16,  54. 

VanOsdell,  John  M.,  43. 

VanSicle,  Martin,  16,  53. 

VanSicle,  Almira,  53. 

VanStow,  David,  54. 

Vivier,  Rev.  Louis,  12. 

W. 

Wales,  Prince  of,  22. 

Walker,  Capt.  A.,  5. 

Walker,  Rev.  Jesse,  16,  18,  53,  55. 
Washington,  Gen.  George,  6,  9. 
Watkins,  Deborah  (Scott),  56. 
Watkins,  Samuel,  56. 

Wayne,  Gen.  Anthony,  8,  12,  22. 


Webster,  Daniel,  8. 

Weeks,  Cole,  16,  52. 

Welch,  Michael,  17,  19,  52,  54,  56. 
Wellmaker,  John,  54,  55. 
Wentworth,  Elijah,  sr.,  26,  51. 
Wentworth,  Elijah,  jr. ,  26,  51. 
Wentworth,  George  P.,  54. 
Wentworth,  Iliram,  51. 

Wentworth,  John,  50. 

Whistler,  John,  7,  8,  10. 

Whistler,  William,  8. 

Wilkins,  William,  8. 

William  Penn  (steamboat),  5. 
Wilmette  [Ouilmette],  Antoine,  15, 
16,  52,  54,  56. 

Wilmette  [Ouilmette],  Elizabeth,  56. 
Winthrop,  Gov.  John,  19. 

Wolcott,  Alexander,  15,  18,  23,  50, 

5L  54)  55* 

Woodbridge,  William,  8. 

Woodbury,  Levi,  8. 

Woodville,  N.  D.,  51. 

Wright,  Silas,  47. 

Wycoff,  Peter,  54,  55. 

Y. 

Young  Tiger  (schooner),  24. 


I 


FERGUS' 


POPULAR  PUBLICATION'S. 


1  ANNALS  OF  CHICAGO:  A  Lecture  delivered 

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ORIGIN  OF  THE  PRAIRIES:  Read  before  the  Ottawa 

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4  AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  EARLY 

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6  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  SOME  OF 

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[»  o  oo  ooo  o  O  O  ll  O  O  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o  o 


'T  T  T  T  "T"T~'T  ▼ 


PRESENT  AND  FUTURE, 
RISE  AND  PROGRESS, 
“STRANGE  EARLY  DAYS, 


By  HENRY  BROWN,  Esq. 
By  JAS.  A.  MARSHALL,  Esq 
By  HARRIETT  MARTINEAU 


* 


\ 


I 


* 


THE 


Present  and  Future 

Prospects  of  Chicago: 

AN  ADDRESS 

Delivered  before  The  Chicago  Lyceum, 
January  20,  1S46. 


BY  HENRY  BROWN,  ESQ., 

Author  of  “  History  of  Illinois.” 

\ 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Chicago  Lyceum,  held  at  the  Court  House,  in 
the  City  of  Chicago,  on  the  evening  of  the  28th  of  January,  ult.  Mark 
Skinner,  Esq.,  Vice-President  in  the  Chair,  and  George  Manierre, 
Secretary. 

It  was  Resolved,  That  Henry  Brown,  Esq.,  President  of  said  Ly¬ 
ceum,  be  requested  to  furnish  a  copy  of  his  Inaugural  Address  for  pub¬ 
lication,  and  that  Dr.  Wm.  B.  Egan,  Mr.  Wm.  M.  Larrabee,  and  Mr. 
Thomas  I  loyne  be  appointed  a  Committee  to  superintend  its  publica¬ 
tion. 

MARK  SKINNER,  Vice-President. 

George  Manierre,  Secretary. 


CHICAGO: 

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INAUGURAL  ADDRESS, 


Gentlemen  of  the  Lyceum: — In  entering  upon  the 
duties  assigned  me,  as  President  of  this  Lyceum,  I  shall  at 
present  do  little  more  than  thank  you  for  the  honor  con¬ 
ferred  upon  me  by  the  appointment,  and  assure  you  in  the 
simplicity  of  my  heart,  as  every  militia  officer  does  in  New 
England,  from  the  General  of  Brigade,  down  to  the  Fourth 
Corporal,  on  his  elevation  “to  rank  and  fame,”  that  “I  will 
endeavor  to  serve  you  according  to  the  best  of  my  abili¬ 
ties.” 

In  order,  however,  that  I  may  do  so,  it  is  necessary  that 
I  speak  to  you  with  freedom.  This  I  shall  do  at  all  events, 
both  now  and  hereafter,  whether  you  hear  or  whether  you 
forbear. 

Our  Saviour  while  on  earth,  in  speaking  to  those  he  ad¬ 
dressed,  said  they  were  a  generation  of  vipers,  that  they 
were  wolves  in  sheep’s  clothing,  and  so  forth.  The  Apostle 
Paul  used  language  equally  plain  and  often  as  severe.  The 
elder  Cato,  in  speaking  of  the  Roman  people,  said,  “  They 
were  like  sheep,  for  as  those  can  scarcely  be  brought  to  stir 
singly,  but  all  in  a  body  readily  follow  their  leaders;”  just 
such  are  ye.  “  The  men  whose  council  you  would  not  take 
as  individuals,  lead  you  with  ease  in  a  crowd.”  It  may, 
perhaps,  be  so  with  us,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  it  unques¬ 
tionably  is. 

It  is  not,  however,  my  intention  to  speak  thus  of  you  or 
of  this  people;  because  it  would  give  offence,  and  I  am 
unwilling,  especially  on  this  occasion,  to  say  anything  which 
can  by  possibility  be  tortured  into  disrespect,  and  so  long 
as  it  shall  be  my  fortune,  good  or  ill,  to  preside  over  this 


PROSPECTS  OF  CHICAGO.  3 

Institution,  I  hope  and  trust  that  nothing  will  be  said  in 
discussion  here,  or  even  attempted,  which  ought  to  offend 
the  most  delicate  ear.  It  is  better  for  us,  gentlemen,  sit¬ 
uated  as  we  are,  and  living  in  a  singular  age,  to  imitate  the 
forbearance  of  a  distinguished  clergyman,  who  being  invited 
to  preach  before  the  Royal  Court  of  France,  in  a  by-gone 
age,  at  the  conclusion  of  a  thrilling  discourse,  told  them  if 
they  did  not  do  so  and  so,  they  would  go  to  a  place  he 
forbore  to  mention  in  that  courtly  audience.  While  the 
oak,  whose  sturdy  arms  resist  the  tempest,  is  uptorn  by  its 
roots — the  pliant  reed,  that  yields  to  the  blast,  escapes  un¬ 
hurt.  The  human  tongue,  as  Plutarch  expresses  it,  “accus¬ 
tomed  to  speak  with  freedom  in  the  cause  of  Justice,”  is 
an  instrument  of  great  power.  It  is  the  lever  of  Archimedes 
that  moves  the  moral  world.  With  truth  for  its  support  it  is 
irresistible.  The  most  stupid  and  exalted  of  our  race  obey 
its  impulse  and  feel  its  power.  How  important  then  that  its- 
use  be  cultivated,  and  its  efforts  be  aright  directed.  Such, 
gentlemen,  is  in  part  our  object  in  coming  hither,  and  so 
long  as  we  adhere  to  such  intentions,  so  long  we  shall 
deserve  and  without  doubt  meet  with  public  approbation.. 

In  order,  gentlemen,  that  our  efforts  may  be  useful,  an. 
addition  to  our  number  will  be  necessary.  A  learned  divine, 
on  being  told  by  one  of  his  parishioners  that  he  had  thought 
for  sometime  of  joining  the  church,  knowing  the  appli¬ 
cant  to  be  unworthy,  informed  him  that  the  church  was 
full;  and  that  they  had  pretty  much  concluded  not  to  take 
any  more.  It  is  not  so,  gentlemen,  with  us.  The  Lyceum 
is  not  yet  full,  we  shall  therefore  be  happy  to  receive 
additions,  provided  the  applicants  be  worthy.  AVe  wish, 
however,  to  have  it  understood  that  admission  here  are 
not  of  course.  The  wisdom  of  ancient  Persia  has  fre¬ 
quently  been  extolled.  In  her  renowned  Capitol  there 
was,  as  we  are  informed,  in  olden  times,  an  institution  in 
some  respects  like  ours.  The  number  of  its  members,  how¬ 
ever,  was  limited;  and  being  very  select,  the  learned,  and 
the  wise,  the  patriot,  the  hero,  and  the  sage,  the  most  dis¬ 
tinguished  courtiers,  and  the  most  accomplished  scholars 
in  the  realm  sought  and  obtained  admission  thither.  As 
a  perpetual  memento  that  its  numbers  were  thus  limited, 
and  in  no  event  whatever  to  be  increased,  a  vessel  filled 
with  water  to  the  brim,  so  that  a  single  drop  additional 
would  cause  it  to  overflow,  was  placed  beside  the  chair; 


4 


THE  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE 


around  it  were  vases  of  the  choicest  flowers,  whose  fra¬ 
grance  filled  the  apartment,  and  whose  beauty  delighted 
every  eye;  at  the  time  of  which  I  speak,  there  was,  we  are 
told,  in  Persia’s  Capitol,  a  youth  of  rare  attainments.  His 
mind  just  then  emerging  into  manhood,  was  the  delight  of 
Persia’s  Court;  the  Prince  saw  him  and  was  charmed,  the 
courtier,  the  scholar,  and  the  statesman  were  all  delighted, 
and  with  one  accord  desired  that  he,  against  their  rules, 
might  be  admitted  among  their  number.  He  was  accord¬ 
ingly  invited  to  attend  their  meetings,  and  a  request  at  last 
to  be  admitted  was  preferred.  It  was  seconded  by  the 
Prime  Minister  of  the  great  King,  but  the  President,  point¬ 
ing  to  the  vessel,  then  before  him,  already  full,  the  motion 
was  withdrawn.  The  youth,  however,  still  persisting,  and 
in  his  zeal,  forgetting  where  he  was,  with  a  step  lighter  than 
any  fairy,  advanced  towards  the  chair,  and  plucking  from 
the  choicest  flower  the  vase  contained,  a  rose-leaf  of  sur¬ 
passing  beauty,  he  placed  it  with  gentle  hand  upon  the  sur¬ 
face  of  the  sparkling  element,  where  it  floated  a  monument 
of  his  triumph,  without  causing  a  drop  to  overflow.  I  need 
not  inform  you,  gentlemen,  that  he  was  at  once  admitted 
by  acclamation.  I  mention  this  not  with  a  view  to  induce 
the  gay  world  to  join  us,  and  thus  contribute  a  little  to  our 
library,  our  funds,  and  to  our  moral  and  intellectual  capital, 
but  to  show  that  perseverance  is  all-powerful,  and  that  by 
proper  efforts,  the  case  of  those  as  yet  excluded  from  our 
number,  and  the  enjoyment  of  privileges  which  ought  to  be 
highly  valued,  is  not  entirely  hopeless. 

Since  the  establishment  of  this  Lyceum  in  1834,  I  have 
been  invited  frequently  to  speak  before  it.  I  was  invited 
so  to  do  early  in  1837,  and  chose  for  my  theme  “The  pres¬ 
ent  and  future  prospects  of  Chicago.”  My  remarks,  how¬ 
ever,  though  well -intended,  were  by  some  unkindly  taken. 
The  speculation  then  in  vogue,  by  which  so  many  had  been 
enriched,  was  not  commended  quite  so  highly  as  many  sup¬ 
posed  it  ought.  Besides,  some  doubts  were  then  expressed, 
whether  the  system  would  endure,  and  whether  speculation, 
with  neither  industry  nor  economy  to  aid  it,  would  exalt  us 
as  a  people.  I  then  supposed,  and  still  suppose,  as  Shakes¬ 
peare  says,  that — 


“  He’s  a  bad  surgeon,  who  for  pity  spares 
The  part  infected,  till  the  gangrene  spreads, 
And  all  the  body  perishes.’’ 


PROSPECTS  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  Lyceum  then  was  held  in  a  dilapidated  building  on 
Clark  street,  between  Ogden’s  Building  and  the  Sherman 
House  alley,  used  as  a  church;  a  building  which  led  a 
stranger,  as  we  are  told,  when  passing  through  Chicago,  to 
remark,  “That  he  had  frequently  heard  of  God’s  house,  but 
never  saw  His  barn  before.”  Our  circumstances  since, 
have  somewhat  changed ;  some  sixteen,  seventeen,  or  eigh¬ 
teen  churches,  vying  in  splendor  with  houses  of  public  wor¬ 
ship  in  the  Atlantic  cities,  now  stand  triumphantly  before 
us  as  mementos  of  piety  and  the  arts,  nowhere  in  towns  of 
equal  magnitude  scarcely  equalled,  certainly  in  none  ex¬ 
celled. 

We  are  permitted  also  to  hold  our  meetings  in  a  Court 
House,  erected  on  public  credit,  and  to  our  shame  be  it 
spoken,  wherein  the  prospect  of  its  redemption  is  distant 
and  uncertain. 

On  the  1 6th  of  June,  1831,  twenty-four  lots  in  the  City 
of  Chicago,  given  by  the  United  States,  among  other  lands, 
to  the  State  of  Illinois,  for  the  use  of  the  Illinois  and  Mich- 
Canal,  were  granted  by  letters  patent,  bearing  date  on  that 
day,  and  executed  by  the  Governor,  to  the  County  of  Cook, 
“to  aid  said  County  in  the  erection  of  public  buildings, 
and  to  the  use  and  for  the  purposes  before  mentioned.”  I 
quote  from  the  deed  of  trust,  which  is  on  record  here.  The 
lots  in  question  are  among  the  most  valuable  in  Chicago; 
six  of  them  are  upon  Lake  street,  and  five  upon  Water 
street.  Of  the  twenty-four  lots  thus  patented,  sixteen  have 
been  sold,  worth  at  the  present  time  $100,000,  not  for  the 
purpose  of  erecting  public  buildings,  but  to  pay  current 
expenses.  The  remaining  eight  are  yet  unsold,  and  consti¬ 
tute  what  is  called  the  Public  Square,  the  block  on  which 
we  now  are  assembled.  Whether  the  State  erred  or  not,  in 
making  the  grant,  I  will  not  pause  to  enquire.  The  County 
of  Cook  being  the  grantor,  and  interested  in  the  trust,  it 
behooves  us  not  to  scrutinize  the  act  too  closely.  Inasmuch, 
however,  as  it  has  been  proposed  to  sell  the  public  square, 
not  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  public  buildings  and  execut¬ 
ing  thus  the  trust,  but  for  the  purpose  of  paying  the  County 
debt,  prodigally  contracted,  a  few  remarks  upon  the  subject 
seem  now  appropriate. 

It  is  needless  here  to  say  that  such  an  act  would  be  an 
act  of  double  treachery,  because  it  is  to  all  apparent,  though 
men  often  “  love  the  treason  who  despise  the  traitor.”  A 


6 


TIIK  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE 


deed  like  this  would  not,  I  apprehend,  be  sanctioned  or 
approved.  Reserved  for  public  use,  and  embellished  as  it 
ought  to  be,  with  trees  and  shrubbery,  it  will  be  an  orna¬ 
ment  to  our  City,  and  generations  now  unborn  will  yet  arise 
and  bless  us  for  having  spared  it. 

But  to  resume  the  subject  from  which  I  have  thus  di¬ 
gressed.  In  1842,  I  was  again  requested  to  address  this 
Lyceum,  I  chose  on  that  occasion  for  my  theme  again  the 
subject  for  which  I  had  been  abused,  the  (then)  present  and 
future  prospects  of  Chicago,  and  promised  in  my  discourse 
to  resume  the  subject  five  years  thereafter.  That  time  has 
not  arrived,  I  am,  however,  requested  to  anticipate  a  little, 
and  redeem  a  promise  which  has  a  year  to  run.  Expecting, 
as  I  do,  a  discount  on  the  debt  for  paying  in  advance.  I 
undertake  the  task  with  pleasure,  and  will  endeavor  to  dis¬ 
charge  its  duties  without  fear,  favor,  or  affection,  as  each 
Grand  Juror  swears. 

In  1842,  Chicago  was  exceedingly  depressed.  Never 
perhaps  more  so.  Our  public  credit  was  then  exhausted, 
and  labor  on  our  public  works  had  nearly  or  wholly  ceased. 
The  opinions  I  had  expressed  in  1837  were  then  repeated, 
and  however  strange  it  may  appear,  without  offence.  In 
1842,  when  everyone  desponded,  I  took  occasion  to  re¬ 
mark  as  follows: 

“Canal  or  no  Canal,  Chicago  will  advance.  Her  pro¬ 
gress  will  be  onward,  and  nothing,  save  some  great  calamity, 
can  arrest  her  course,  or  the  consumate  folly,  depravity,  or 
imprudence  of  her  people.”  Again,  “You  have  been  told 
that  Chicago  depends  for  her  prosperity  on  the  Canal. 
While  I  admit  the  Canal’s  importance,  and  look  forward 
with  the  utmost  confidence  to  its  completion,  I  deny  all 
such  dependence.  So  long  as  yonder  inland  seas  bear  on 
their  surface  the  wealth  of  every  clime — so  long  as  yonder 
fertile  prairies  bloom  with  verdure,  and  ‘the  cattle  upon 
the  thousand  hills’  shall  graze  their  herbage,  and  so  long  as 
yonder  interminable  fields  shall  wave  with  their  golden  har¬ 
vest,  an  effort  to  blot  Chicago  from  existence,  or  to  depress 
her  rising  consequence,  would  be  like  an  attempt  to  quench 
the  stars.” 

Having  on  that  occasion  prophesied  a  little,  permit  me, 
gentlemen,  on  this  to  prophesy  a  little  more.  There  are 
persons  now  living  (though  not  present)  in  Chicago  who 
will  see  5,000,000  of  people  in  Illinois,  and  200,000  in  this 


PROSPECTS  OF  CHICAGO. 


7 


'■City,*  a  larger  number  than  the  Metropolis  of  England,  in 
the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  contained.  This  to  some  may 
problematically  appear.  It  is,  however,  not  only  possible 
but  probable,  and  I  will  tell  you  why.  The  State  of  Illinois 
contains  56,158  square  miles  of  more  fertile  soil  than  any 
where  exists.  It  is  larger  than  New  York,  Ohio,  or  Pennsyl¬ 
vania.  It  contains  more  arable  land  than  all  New  England, 
and  more  than  England  and  Wales  together.  It  is  larger 
than  Portugal  and  Denmark,  and  has  more  acres  than  Hol¬ 
land,  Belgium,  and  Switzerland  united.  Twelve  such  States 
as  Connecticut  could  be  carved  out  of  it  and  a  fraction  still 
be  left.  W ere  it  as  densely  settled  as  Massachusetts  is,  it 
would  contain  that  number  now.  Is  it  then,  I  ask,  improb¬ 
able  that  Illinois  “in  three  score  years  and  ten,”  will  be  as 
densely  settled  as  Massachusetts  is  at  present,  and  should 
the  State  contain  5,000,000,  is  200,000  for  Chicago  an  over¬ 
estimate? 

In  order,  however,  to  insure  her  growth  and  her  pros¬ 
perity  permanently  secure,  some  effort  will  be  necessary. 
Man  is  born  to  toil.  Industry  is  essential  to  health  and 
happiness,  also  to  moral  and  intellectual  improvement. 
Labor  is  a  blessing  only  in  disguise. 

Among  the  means  essential  to  our  prosperity,  good  roads 
from  here  in  all  directions  are  pre-eminent.  Not  plank- 
roads  existing  on  paper  only,  or  on  the  pages  of  the  revised 
■Statutes  of  Illinois,  like  that  from  this  City  to  Rockford, 

*  The  writer  was  present  when  this  Lecture  was  delivered  at  the  “Old 
■Court  House,”  being  one  long,  oblong  apartment,  capable  of  seating 
about  200  persons.  And  when  the  extravagant  perdiction  was  made 
“  that  persons  -were  now  living  ( though  not  present )  in  Chicago  who  will 
see  200.000  people  in  this  City !”  An  uproarious  laugh  of  incredulity 
convulsed  the  entire  audience.  And  yet,  the  Orator  so  far  doubted  his 
own  statement  that  he  could  not  venture  to  say,  that  the  persons  then 
diving,  who  would  see  this  City  contain  200,000  people ,  were  in  Chicago 
or  in  his  hearing. 

But  time,  has  not  only  verified  his  statement,  that  the  persons  were 
then  living  who  shozild  see  this;  but  further,  and  far  beyond  his  exceed¬ 
ingly,  what  seemed  extravagant  prediction,  there  were  then  listening  to 
his  own  lecture,  in  that  room,  at  least  twenty  or  thirty  persons,  who,  liv¬ 
ing  in  Chicago  then,  have  lived  to  see  it  contain  over  400,000,  or  double 
the  number  of  people  estimated,  and  that  too,  before  the  lapse  of  30 
years. 


8 


THE  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE 


about  which  much  has  been  said  and  little  done.  Nor 
railroads,  such  as  were  made  a  few  nights  since,  at  a 
meeting  here,  which  it  is  feared  will  sleep  the  sleep  of 
death ;  but  plank-roads,  railroads,  and  good  common  roads, 
upon  the  earth’s  broad  surface,  which  common  people 
delight  to  travel. 

It  is,  therefore,  gentlemen,  to  be  regretted  deeply,  so  I 
think,  that  our  Legislature  at  its  last  session  should  have 
repealed  the  law,  requiring  labor  during  the  last  year  to  be 
performed  on  public  roads,  as  also  the  law,  authorizing  the 
imposition  of  a  small  tax  for  their  improvement.  This  fact 
is  not  generally  known.  It  is  nevertheless  so. 

In  1841,  a  law  was  passed,  authorizing  the  County  Com¬ 
missioners’  Court,  to  require  from  one  to  five  day’s  labor 
from  each  able-bodied  man,  between  21  and  50,  in  Illinois, 
to  be  laid  out  on  the  public  highways. 

In  1843,  a  law  was  passed  imposing  a  small  tax  for  their 
improvement. 

On  the  28th  of  February,  1845,  these  laws  were  both 
unfortunately  repealed.  Another  was  substituted  in  their 
stead,  but  so  imperfect  in  its  provisions,  that  it  became 
entirely  useless.  It  gave  no  authority  to  collect  a  tax  or 
penalty. 

The  general  road  act,  passed  March  3,  1845,  made  no 
provision  for  that  year.  Of  course,  the  State  of  Illinois,, 
during  the  whole  of  1845,  was  without  a  road  act. 

Fortunately,  however,  it  was  of  but  little  inconvenience. 
The  laws  of  Illinois,  like  some  of  the  fixed  stars  whose  light, 
it  is  said,  has  not  yet  reached  us,  and  like  others,  although 
extinguished  some  time  since,  continued  yet  to  shine  on,  sa- 
exceedingly  tardy  in  their  progress  that  their  passage  and 
their  repeal  is  not  essential  in  every  instance  till  months,  and 
sometimes  years,  we  are  told,  thereafter.  Besides,  the  peo¬ 
ple  of  this  State  are  “a  law-abiding  people.”  The  repeal,, 
then,  of  a  salutary  statute,  had  it  been  known,  would  not 
have  prevented  labor  from  being  so  essential  to  our  pros¬ 
perity. 

When  the  Parthenon,  or  temple  of  Minerva,  at  Athens,, 
was  completed,  the  oxen,  which  for  years  had  been  accus¬ 
tomed  to  draw  stone  from  the  quarry  to  the  Acropolis,  were 
discharged  from  further  service,  and,  as  a  mark  of  special 
favor,  thenceforth  permitted  to  graze  on  the  public  com¬ 
mons.  Sometime  thereafter  a  celebration  took  place  in  the 


PROSPECTS  OF  CHICAGO. 


9 


city,  and  a  procession  was  formed  from  thence  or  the  lower 
town  to  the  Acropolis. — In  that  procession,  a  large  number 
of  oxen  in  their  yokes  were  introduced,  to  fill  the  pageant. 
The  oxen  before  discharged  perceiving  others  about  to  per¬ 
form  a  task  which  had  (as  they  supposed)  for  years  de¬ 
volved  on  them,  took  their  position  without  drivers  in  the 
line,  and  performed  the  route  as  regularly  as  before.  It  is 
just  so  with  the  people  of  Illinois.  Accustomed  to  “mend 
their  ways,”  without  a  legal  requisition  for  that  purpose,, 
they  have  hitherto,  and  it  is  hoped  will  continue  thus  to  do, 
“law  or  no  law.” 

A  writer  (an  enthusiast  of  course),  some  years  ago,  in¬ 
speaking  of  rivers  and  their  use,  observed,  they  were  de¬ 
signed  to  feed  canals — and  Talleyrand,  Napoleon’s  prime 
minister,  for  many  years,  is  represented,  though  perhaps 
untruly,  to  have  said  that  “  language  was  invented  to  con¬ 
ceal  our  thoughts.”  Northern  Illinois,  by  our  Creator,  was 
designed  for  no  fictitious  purpose.  It  is  adapted  in  a  pecu¬ 
liar  manner  for  either  railroads,  plank-roads,  common  roads, 
or  canals;  and  nothing  but  an  effort  in  behalf  of  her  people 
is  required  to  complete  them  altogether.  Of  the  Canal  it  is 
useless  now  to  speak.  A  promise,  a  mere  promise  by  our 
Legislature,  (accompanied  by  a  grant  which  renders  its 
violation  impossible)  to  withhold  their  sacrilegious  hands 
from  its  remaining  funds,  has  not  only  its  completion  per¬ 
fectly  secured,  but  the  payment  in  half  a  century  or  so  of  all 
the  debt  hitherto  incurred  for  its  construction,  and,  in  part, 
the  redemption  of  our  country’s  honor.  Two  years  will 
witness  its  completion,  and  the  wealth  of  other  realms  in 
triumph  floating  on  its  surface. 

The  question  having  frequently  been  asked,  whether  the 
completion  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  will  benefit 
Chicago  or  no.  Allow  me,  gentlemen,  here  to  say,  it  will, 
in  a  thousand  different  ways.  Time  will  not  permit  me  now 
to  illustrate  this  position.  I  hope,  however,  the  question 
will,  sometime  during  the  season,  be  debated  here,  and  then- 
each  one  will  have  an  opportunity  to  be  heard. 

There  is  another  subject,  gentlemen,  which,  at  the  pre¬ 
sent  time,  bears  heavily  upon  us.  I  now  allude  to  a  rail¬ 
road  from  Chicago  to  the  Mississippi.  It  is  not  my  inten¬ 
tion  here  to  speak  of  Whitney’s  road,  because  his  views 
upon  the  subject  are,  I  think,  erroneous,  and  his  plans 
wholly  impracticable.  A  railroad,  hov'ever,  from  the  Atlan- 


10 


THE  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE 


tic  cities  to  the  Mississippi,  and  westward  thence, *  is  just  as 
sure  of  its  completion  in  our  day  and  generation  as  the 
sparks  are  to  fly  upward.  That  road  must,  of  course,  pass 
around  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan;  and,  un¬ 
less  we  are  wise,  it  may  perhaps  go  further  south,  and 
escape  Chicago  altogether.  If  a  railroad  from  here  to 
Galena,  or  to  the  Mississippi,  was  now  completed,  or  in 
progress,  is  it  not  more  than  probable  that  such  road  would 
be  a  connecting  link  between  the  East  and  the  “  Far  West?” 
The  progress  of  empire,  since  the  morning  stars  first  sang 
together,  has  been  westward.  The  Euphrates’  banks  re¬ 
ceived  from  the  Almighty  Earth’s  first  tenants.  Greece 
.  shortly  to  power  and  fame  succeeded.  Rome  afterwards 
supplanted  Greece  in  her  career,  and  Western  Europe,  on 
her  ruins,  thereafter  rose  to  empire — 

“  Rome  heard  the  Gothic  trumpets’  blast. 

The  march  of  hosts  as  Alaric  past.” 

England,  the  land  of  scholars  and  the  men  of  arms,  is 
rotten  ere  she  is  ripe — 

“A  Queen  upon  a  throne  of  Gold, 

A  Parliament  of  drones; 

A  Nation’s  voice  that’s  bought  and  sold, 

While  every  cottage  groans.” 

Our  country,  gentlemen,  is  destined  shortly  to  become 

*  It  is  a  singular  verification  of  this  Orator’s  statements,  that  in  this 
very  year  1846,  the  Whitney  project,  for  a  Great  Pacific  Rail¬ 
road  from  the  Mississippi,  was  proposed  to  Congress  by  a  Memorial. 
This  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Public  Lands,  of  which  Judge 
Breese,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  this  State,  was  then  Chairman.  That 
HE  made  a  Report  thereon,  which  was  published.  This  Report  favors 
the  construction  of  the  Road,  though  not  on  the  Whitney  project. 
The  Report  is  remarkable  for  the  accuracy  of  detail — knowledge — it 
manifests,  in  tracing  out  the  lines  upon  which  it  has  been  built  through 
the  great  South  Pass  of  the  Mountains;  and  in  suggesting  the  practical 
means  which  were  adopted  long  afterwards,  in  1863  ;  when  the  gigantic 
nature  of  the  undertaking  seemed  feasible  to  Congress :  Though,  at  the 
time,  the  Report  was  made,  all  its  facts  and  details,  as  well  as  the 
enterprise  itself,  were  treated  with  derision  and  ridicule,  by  as  great  an 
authority  in  the  U.  S.  Senate  of  those  days  as  the  late  “Thomas  H. 
Benton,  of  Missouri.”  And  yet,  while  Breese  wears  no  garland,  is 
honored  by  no  memorial — a  statue ,  in  marble,  of  Benton  as  author  of 
the  Road  to  the  Pacific — honors  his  memory  in  the  St.  Louis  Mer¬ 
chants’  Exchange. 


PROSPECTS  OF  CHICAGO.  1 1 

the  seat  of  wealth,  the  source  of  power,  the  home  of  learn¬ 
ing,  and  we  hope  the  abode  of  virtue.  And  Chicago  is 
destined  also  to  much  honor.  Her  position  is  commanding 
and  her  progress  sure.  I  saw,  in  an  English  paper,  a  short 
time  since,  New  York,  Chicago,  and  New  Orleans  put  down 
as  three  of  the  most  prominent  points  in  our  Republic. — 
The  Rev.  Sidney  Smith,  now  deceased,  prebend  of  St. 
Paul’s,  the  projector,  with  Lord  Brougham  and  others,  of 
the  Edinburgh  Review ,  better  known  in  this  country  for  his 
remarks  in  relation  to  some  Pennsylvania  bonds,  of  which 
he  had  unfortunately  became  the  owner,  in  a  letter  dated 
at  London,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1845,  directed  to  a  gen¬ 
tleman  in  this  city,  says:  “The  spot  from  which  I  write 
(London)  was  considered  by  the  Romans  as  the  end  of  the 
world — the  spot  from  which  you  write  (Chicago),  remote  as 
it  seems,  may  become  hereafter  the  centre  of  civilization.” 
And  why,  I  would  ask,  gentlemen,  may  it  not  be  so?  It  is 
but  a  short  time  since,  and  within  the  recollection  of  many 
of  us  now  present,  when  the  population  of  those  States  was 
mostly  on  the  other  side  of  the  Alleganies.  AVhere  is  it 
now?  A  majority  of  the  whole  is  west  thereof,  and  that 
majority  rapidly  increasing.  In  order,  however,  that  we 
may  fulfil  the  destiny  that  awaits  us  here,  much  is  to  be 
done.  Industry  and  economy  are  not  only  the  parents  of 
every  virtue,  but  the  cause  of  a  nation’s,  as  well  as  of  an 
individual’s,  prosperity. 

The  City  of  Chicago,  since  her  incorporation,  the  County 
of  Cook,  since  known  as  such,  and  the  State  of  Illinois, 
since  her  admission  into  the  Union,  have  erred  exceedingly 
in  their  financial  operations.  I  hazard  nothing,  I  believe, 
in  saying,  that  one-half  of  the  moneys  raised  by  taxation, 
by  each,  and  borrowed,  for  which  we  are  now  indebted,  had 
it  been  juduciously  expended,  would  have  effected  more 
than  the  whole  has  done  under  our  present  system.  Of 
this,  gentleman,  I  speak  with  confidence — and  in  some 
cases  with  knowledge  too.  In  others,  I  speak  from  facts, 
which  cannot  err. 

The  exposition  of  fraud  and  error — of  wrong  and  outrage, 
and  the  suggestion  of  improvements  to  correct  those  errors, 
and  remedy  those  wrongs  and  outrages,  is  at  times  an  un¬ 
gracious  task,  and  not  unfrequently  with  danger  is  attended. 

When  the  great  Earl  of  Chatham,  “'mid  England’s  peers, 
arose  and  said  he  would  not  sit  quiet  when  his  liberty  was 


12 


THE  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE 


invaded,  nor  look  in  silence  on  public  robbery,”  it  was' 
thought  by  many  a  bold  speech — and  the  event  the  asser¬ 
tion  justified.  Relying  upon  his  own  resources,  the  petty 
knaves,  the  acknowledged  fools,  and  the  conceded  villains 
throughout  the  realm,  were  from  his  counsels  totally  ex¬ 
cluded.  They,  of  course,  combined  against  him,  and,  by 
the  aid  of  England’s  aristocracy,  more  corrupt  if  possible 
still,  ousted  the  patriot  and  statesman  from  place  and 
power.  'Posterity,  however,  reversed  afterward  their  judg¬ 
ment,  and  did  him  full  and  ample  justice. 

“The  eagle  flies  alone,  the  geese  in  flocks; 

Sheep  herd  together,  and  wolves  and  jackals 
In  packs  their  prey  pursue.” 

Time  would  fail  me  were  I  on  this  occasion  to  investigate 
the  origin,  and  trace  the  progress  of  our  enormous  debt,* 

*  We  have  looked  up  the  records  for  this  “enormous  debt,”  of  which 
the  eloquent  orator  is  speaking,  and  find  that  the  debt  of  Chicago  was 

In  1838,  -  -  $9,996-54  I"  1842,  -  -  $16,337.01 

"  J839,  -  -  7.182.25  1843,  -  *  12,655.40 

11  1840,  -  -  6,559.63  11  1846,  not  over  15,000.00 

„  1841,  -  -  12,387.67 

The  State  debt  of  that  time,  to  which  he  refers  in  the  text,  was 
about  $20,000,000;  two  millions  of  this  had  been  borrowed  abroad  to 
complete  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  The  State  failed  to  pay 
her  interest  on  the  debt  in  1838-9,  and  the  work  on  the  Canal  ceased; 
contractors  failed;  and  the  construction  was  for  the  time  abandoned,  it 
u'as  not  again  resumed  until  the  year  1845.  I’1  March  of  that  year,  an 

Act  was  passed,  providing'  that  if  the  holders  of  Canal  bonds  would 
advance  a  sum  sufficient  to  complete  the  Canal,  the  State  would  con¬ 
vey  to  trustees,  for  their  security  and  the  repayment  of  all  moneys 
advanced  by  them,  all  the  Canal  lands  remaining  unsold,  which  Con¬ 
gress  had  donated  to  aid  the  State,  in  the  completion  of  the  improve¬ 
ment  :  the  Canal  itself,  so  far  as  it  had  been  constructed — and,  all  tolls 
to  be  received  after  its  completion ,  until  the  whole  amount  of  all  moneys 
borrowed,  known  as  the  Canal  debt,  with  interest,  should  be  paid  to 
the  holders  of  Canal  bonds. 

Under  this  Act,  the  property  v'as  conveyed  to  Trustees — two  on  the 
part  of  the  bond-holders,  and  one  State  Trustee,  by  whom  the  Canal 
lands  were  sold.  The  Canal  was  finished  in  1847,  and  opened  to  busi¬ 
ness  in  1848;  and  the  whole  debt  has  been  paid  from  the  moneys 
received  from  sales  of  land  and  tolls,  and  the  Canal  has  become  a 
source  of  revenue  to  the  State  as  well  as  its  property.  As  regards  the 


PROSPECTS  OF  CHICAGO. 


13 


which,  like  an  incubus,  hangs  heavily  upon  us,  or  show  how 
and  for  what  purpose  a  million  and  a  half  or  more  of  our 
bonds  are  now,  like  Milton’s  angels,  floating  upon  the  vast 
abyss,  without  a  parent,  a  patron,  or  a  friend,  for  which  the 
State  has  yet  received  no  compensation,  and  for  which 
none,  I  believe,  is  expected.  Our  whole  financial  system 
seems  to  me,  gentlemen,  like 

“The  application 

Of  homoeopathic  medicines  to 

Arrest  the  earthquake  and  to  quench  volcanoes.” 

The  time,  however,  it  is  hoped,  will  come  when  some 
one  will  be  to  Illinois  her  guardian  angel — who,  as  a  dis¬ 
tinguished  senator  and  statesman  (Col.  Young,  of  New  York) 
observes,  “  will  confound  and  paralyze  the  congregated 
energies  of  corruption,  and  rescue  from  the  lowest  depths 
of  degradation  the  lost  credit  of  the  State;  who  will,  from 
under  the  huge  mass  of  documentary  rubbish,  disinter  the 
enormous  skull,  the  disjointed  vertebrae,  and  scattered 
bones  of  the  mammoth  debt  that  has  been  accumulated 
by  millions,  ■and  bonds  therefor  poured  out  (sometimes 
without  consideration)  like  water,  till  the  drunkenness  of 
financial  debauchery  has  eventuated  in  delirium  tremens — 
some  one  who  will  collate,  describe,  systematize,  and  ar¬ 
range  the  repulsive  fragments  of  this  fiscal  anatomy,  so  that 
its  frightful  skeleton  may  be  seen  at  one  view,  and  held  up 
in  all  its  enormities  to  the  public  gaze,  as  a  memento  of 
the  past  and  a  warning  to  the  future.” 

I  have  heard  it  frequently  stated,  and  in  Chicago  too,  by 
men  of  wealth  and  standing,  from  whom  much  better  things 
are,  or  ought  to  have  been,  expected,  that  we  must  not 
scrutinize  these  things  too  closely,  for  peradventure  friends 
may  suffer.  Gracious  and  eternal  God  !  why  are  thy  bolts 
withheld  when  doctrines  such  as  these,  without  excuse  and 
without  apology,  escape  from  polluted  lips? — Such  doc¬ 
trines,  however,  (thanks  to  heaven!)  meet  with  countenance 
from  none  but  knaves.  They  are  not  the  principles  of  pure 
democracy,  and  I  hope  not  of  whiggery.  Let  no  such  man 
be  trusted.  He  is  an  enemy  to  his  country,  and  a  traitor 
to  his  trust — a  nuisance  to  his  party  and  an  outlaw  from  his 
God.  No  honor,  surely,  can  await  him  here.  Let  him 

City,  in  the  years  1840  and  1841,  Mr.  Thomas  Hoyne,  who  was  then 
the  City  Clerk ,  says :  that  he  kept  and  revised  all  the  Tax  rolls  of  those 
two  years;  and  the  whole  amount,  real  estate  tax  or  revenue,  in  184.1, 
-was  $ 7000  !!  about  $Sooo  or  $9000  in  1S42. 


THE  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE 


H 

then  go  to  where  he  belongs,  where  his  talents  will  be  duly- 
appreciated,  and  feed  for  hire  the  half-starved  swine  that  , 
prowl  about  hell’s  dormitory,  or  the  backdoor  of  mammon’s 
cellar  kitchen. 

“Six  thousand  years  of  sorrow  have  well  nigh 
Fulfilled  their  tardy  and  disastrous  course,” 

Since  the  Almighty,  by  a  deed  of  trust,  gave  Adam  and  his 
posterity  the  globe  we  inherit,  and  the  appurtenances  there¬ 
unto  belonging — including  every  herb,  and  every  tree — save 
one,  and  every  fowl,  and  every  fish,  and  every  beast,  and 
every  living  thing  that  moveth  on  the  earth.  For  what 
purpose?  That  he  might  replenish  it,  and  subdue  it — that 
he  might,  as  in  the  case  of  Eden,  “dress  it  and  keep  it.” 
How,  gentlemen,  I  ask,  have  we  discharged  that  trust?  An 
answer  to  this  inquiry  can  hardly  be  expected  in  one  dis¬ 
course.  Our  business,  therefore,  is  at  present  with  that 
portion  of  Adam’s  posterity  which  has  taken  up  its  resi¬ 
dence  in  Chicago  and  its  vicinity. 

The  red  man  of  the  tvoods,  who  preceded  us  in  posses¬ 
sion  here,  violated,  it  seems,  his  trust,  or  rather  neglected 
it,  and  when  the  bugle  notes  of  civilization  sounded  in  his 
ears,  he  fled  far  away.  After  a  possession  (as  presumed) 
of  several  centuries,  he  left  nothing  but  the  names  of  lakes 
and  rivers — of  mountains  and  of  plains,  to  mark  the  spot 
o’er  which  he  wandered.  I  think,  therefore,  of  savage  man 
but  little — and  of  the  white  man,  who  is  a  savage,  less.  It 
is  mind  alone  that  “makes  the  man,  the  want  of  it  the” — 
animal. 

That  portion  of  Adam’s  posterity  residing  here  is  now 
composed  of  matter  various  and  discordant.  A  writer,  of 
some  eminence,  once,  as  we  are  told,  divided  mankind  into 
two  general  divisions — those  who  are  in  the  penitentiary 
and  those  who  are  out.  This  division  is  too  unequal  for 
any  use.  Were  perfect  justice  done  on  earth,  they  might 
perhaps  be  more  equal.  But,  as  it  is,  other  divisions  must 
be  adopted.  I  have,  therefore,  thought  of  another  equally 
absurd,  and,  as  some  pretend,  equally  unequal — those  who 
are  are,  and  those  who  are  not,  their  own  worst  enemies. 

The  last,  to-wit:  those  who  are  not  their  own  worst  ene¬ 
mies,  I  need  not  speak  of.  Of  them,  Christianity  has  care 
- — a  name  how  glorious — its  founder  in  rags — a  mountain, 
as  Whitfield  said,  for  his  pulpit,  and  the  whole  arch  of  hea¬ 
ven  for  his  sounding-board.  Its  apostles  uneducated  fisher- 


PROSPECTS  OF  CHICAGO. 


15 

men — with  poverty  for  its  throne — a  staff  for  its  sceptre — a 
crown  of  thorns  for  its  diadem,  it  went  forth  conquering  and 
to  conquer.  Thrones  and  dominions,  principalities  and 
powers  fell  before  it,  and  Paganism,  at  its  approach,  dis¬ 
solved  as  “  flax  at  the  touch  of  fire.”  It  reached  at  length 
Chicago,  and  sixteen,  or  seventeen,  or  eighteen  churches 
mark  its  triumph. 

“  Who  is  this  that  comes  from  Eden? 

’Tis  the  Saviour,  now  victorious, 

Traveling  westward  in  his  might; 

’Tis  the  Saviour,  O  how  glorious 
To  his  people  in  their  sight. 

Satan  conquered,  and  the  grave, 

Jesus  now  is  strong  to  save.” 

Those  who  are  their  own  worst  enemies  are  like  the  poly¬ 
pus  : — divide  it  and  it  becomes  two  polipi — divide  it  again, 
and  yet  again,  the  same  result  succeeds.  Hence  the  divi¬ 
sion  of  mankind  into  moral,  political,  and  religious  parties. 
Religious  parties — that  is,  pure  religious  parties,  it  is  true, 
are  anomalies.  We  mean  by  them  such  only  as  are  religious 
by  profession  merely — those,  as  Pollock  says : 

“Who  put  a  sixpence  in  the  urn 
Of  charity,  and  take  a  shilling  out 
To  keep  it  sounding.” 

To  treat  of  each  would  far  exceed  the  time  and  space 
allotted  me.  I  therefore  must  be  brief. 

Public  opinion,  we  are  told,  is  not  like  the  maiden  wooed, 
but  like  the  widow  won.  It  is  also  like  the  nettle — touch 
it  lightly  and  the  finger  bleeds  ;  grasp  it  firmly  with  a  giant’s 
grasp,  and  it  to  the  pressure  yields,  and  in  the  hand  “harm¬ 
less  as  dreams  of  babes  become.”  The  politician’s  temple 
stands,  we  are  informed,  upon  base  built  on  sand,  in  the 
centre  of  a  wide  extended  prairie,  accessible  only  to  eagles 
and  to  reptiles.  While  the  former  attain  its  summit  by  the 
boldness  of  their  flight,  the  latter  reach  the  same  object  by 
tortuous  paths,  themselves  with  slime  all  covered  over,  and 
they  in  their  turn  covering  those  who  aid  them  to  ascend. 

“Unblest  by  virtue,  government  a  league 
Becomes — a  circling  junto  of  the  great, 

To  rob  by  law.” 

But,  gentlemen,  of  this  enough.  I  may  hereafter  resume 
the  subject.  The  field  is  ample,  and  the  laborers  few.  Its 
portals,  however,  are  so  guarded  that  no  one  has  dared,  as 
yet,  to  enter  it.  It  is  time  for  some  one  to  begin.  A  vic¬ 
tory  would  be  certain. 


i6 


THE  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE 


When  Suwarrow  commanded  a  Russian  army  of  some 
20,000,  upon  the  Turkish  border,  he  was  told  that  an  over¬ 
whelming  force  was  gathering  to  attack  him.  Without 
waiting  for  its  concentration,  he  issued  an  order,  as  follows: 

“  I  understand  there  are  but  50,000  Turks  opposed  to 
us,  and  50,000  more  within  a  day’s  march.  It  were  better 
were  they  all  here,  so  that  they  might  all  be  beaten  on  the 
same  day,  but  as  it  is  othenvise,  we  may  as  well  begin  with 
these.” 

An  attack  was  made  next  morning,  and  the  50,000  Turks 
cut  to  pieces;  the  other  50,000  arrived  in  the  evening,  and 
were  cut  to  pieces  also. 

Northern  Illinois  has  never  been  so  prosperous  as  now. 
Industry  never  so  abundant;  and  economy  (except  adver¬ 
sity  compelling)  so  prevalent  before.  This  prosperity,  how¬ 
ever,  is  owing  not  to  speculation,  nor  legislation,  but  to  the 
might,  as  Cowper  says,  “  that  slumbers  in  the  peasant’s 
arms.”  The  efforts,  the  united  efforts  of  a  whole  people 
judiciously  directed. 

I  may,  and  probably  shall  be,  charged  “with  using  up  all 
the  big  I's  in  this  discourse,  and  leaving,  therefore,  none  for 
you.”  The  allusion  some  may,  and  some  may  not,  under¬ 
stand.  Permit  me  then  to  explain: 

Some  years  ago,  Governor  Reynolds,  of  Illinois,  usually 
called  “the  Old  Ranger,”  became  a  candidate  for  governor 
in  this  State.  Gov.  Edwards,  who  had  been  elected  some¬ 
time  before,  became  also  a  candidate,  at  the  same  time,  for 
re-election.  Reynolds,  it  is  said,  was  illiterate;  Edwards, 
“a  gentleman  and  a  scholar.”  The  former,  in  a  letter, 
speaking  of  himself,  used,  we  are  told,  a  small  i  instead  of 
of  a  large  I.  This  being  public,  became  a  subject  of  no 
little  merriment  to  his  opponent,  and  was,  unfortunately, 
alluded  to  in  a  stump  speech,  by  Gov.  Edwards.  The  old 
Ranger,  however,  in  his  reply,  observed  that  his  opponent 
had  used  up  all  the  big  I’s,  and  left  none  for  him ;  he  had 
therefore  used  the  small  /  from  pure  necessity.  It  needs 
no  prophet’s  ken  to  tell  who  gained  the  palm. 

It  is  not,  however,  true  that  all  the  big  I’s  are  yet  ab¬ 
sorbed.  Enough,  I  apprehend,  remain  for  all.  You  will, 
therefore,  1  hope  and  trust,  come  forward  this  evening,  and 
take  the  “  Sheridan  Oath.” 

This  allusion  may  to  some  be  as  inexplicable  as  that 
already  made  to  the  “Old  Ranger.”  Allow  me,  then,  to 


PROSPECTS  OF  CHICAGO. 


1 7 


-explain  this  also.  Richard  Brinsley  Sheridan,  who  after¬ 
wards  became  one  of  the  most  finished  orators  in  Britain, 
in  some  of  his  first  attempts  was  unsuccessful.  On  “break¬ 
ing  down”  the  third  or  fourth  time,  and  being  rallied  by  his 
boon  companions,  he  tartly  replied :  “I  know  it  is  in  me, 
and,  by  God,  it  shall  come  out.” 

Few  know  their  capacity  for  public  speaking,  until  the 
attempt  is  made  and  frequently  repeated.  The  opportunity 
here  presented  is  a  good  one.  The  whole  world  (for  sub¬ 
jects)  is  before  us,  our  room  convenient,  our  audience  re¬ 
spectable,  and  those  who  neglect  it  must,  of  course,  be 
exceedingly  reprehensible. 

A  few  words,  gentlemen,  on  the  philosophy  of  human 
life,  and  I  will  close. 

Charles  Tames  Fox,  the  celebrated  English  orator  and 
statesman,  in  speaking  of  this  world,  observes: 


“Tis  a  very  good  world  that  we  live  in, 

To  lend,  to  spend,  or  to  give  in; 

But  to  beg,  to  borrow,  or  get  a  man's  own, 

'Tis  the  very  worst  world  that  ever  was  known.” 

I  do  not,  gentlemen,  subscribe  to  all  this.  The  above 
must,  I  think,  have  been  written  by  Fox  in  his  desponding 
moments.  My  sentiments  upon  this  subject  are  better  ex¬ 
pressed  in  the  following  lines,  which  have  just  been  handed 
me  to  read  on  this  occasion;  to  the  views  therein  expressed, 
I  subscribe  and  recommend  them  to  you  for  deliberate  con¬ 
sideration.  They  are  entitled  “  The  World  as  it  Is.” 


This  world  is  not  so  bad  a  world 
As  some  would  like  to  make  it; 
Though  whether  good,  or  whether  bad. 
Depends  on  how  we  take  it. 

For  if  we  scold  and  fret  all  day, 

From  dewey  morn  till  even, 

This  world  will  ne’er  afford  to  man 
A  foretaste  here  of  heaven. 


This  word  is  quite  a  pleasant  world, 
In  rain  or  pleasant  weather. 

If  people  would  but  learn  to  live 
In  harmony  together: 

Nor  cease  to  burst  the  kindling  bond 
By  love  and  peace  cemented, 

And  learn  that  best  of  lessons  yet, 
To  always  be  contented. 


This  world  in  truth’s  as  good  a  world 
As  e’er  was  known  to  any, 

Who  have  not  seen  another  yet, 

And  these  are  very  many. 

And  if  the  men,  and  women  too, 
Have  plenty  of  employment, 

Those  surely  must  be  hard  to  please 
Who  cannot  find  enjoyment. 


Then  were  the  world  a  pleasant  world, 
And  pleasant  folks  were  in  it, 

The  day  would  pass  most  pleasantly, 
To  those  who  thus  began  it. 

To  all  the  nameless  grievances, 
Brought  on  by  borrowed  troubles. 
Would  prove,  as  certainly  they  are, 

A  mass  of  empty  bubbles  ! 


Dr.  Paley,  a  celebrated  divine,  the  author  of  “  Moral 
Philosophy,”  “Natural  Theology,”  and  several  other  works 
of  the  highest  reputation,  used  to  say,  that  “A  man  must 
play  the  fool  about  one-half  of  his  time  in  order  to  avoid 
being  a  fool  for  the  residue.” 

The  celebrated  Robert  Hall,  whose  sermons  many  of  you 


2 


iS 


PRESENT  AND  FUTURE  OF  CHICAGO. 


have  doubtless  read  and,  if  so,  admired,  being  once  repri¬ 
manded  by  a  dignified  though  simple  clergyman,  for  his 
levity  of  manner  out  of  the  pulpit,  replied,  “There,  brother,, 
you  and  I  differ  ;  you  talk  nonsense  in  the  pulpit  and  I  out 
of  it.” 

“Gravity,”  says  a  distinguished  French  author,  “is  a 
mysterious  invention  or  contrivance  of  the  body  to  conceal 
defects  in  the  brain.” 

It  is  hardly  worth  our  while  then  to  affect  gravity  or  dig¬ 
nity  in  cases  where  it  is  not  required,  and  where  an  attempt 
to  do  so  would  make  us  only  ridiculous.  On  proper  occa¬ 
sions,  I  have  no  doubt  both  will  be  regarded  by  every 
member  of  this  Lyceum,  not  only  here  but  elsewhere,  and 
“dignity  of  soul”  always. 

I  thank  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  for  the  patience  you 
have  manifested  on  this  occasion,  and  promise  never  more 
to  offend  in  like  manner,  so  long. 

I  have  now,  as  Cowper  observes, 

“  Roved  for  fruit, 

Roved  far  and  gathered  much:  Some  harsh  ’tis  true, 

Plucked  from  the  thorns  and  briars  of  reproof. 

But  wholesome,  well  digested.” 

And  can  I  think  with  Scott,  surely  say,  that 

“To  his  promise  just, 

Vich-Alpine  hath  discharged  his  trust. 

Hath  led  thee  safe,  through  watch  and  ward. 

Far  past  Clan-Alpine’s  outmost  guard.” 

I  propose  now,  gentlemen,  to  leave  you  at  Coilantogle 
ford. 

“And  thou  must  keep  thee  with  thy  sword.” 

Let  me  say  to  you,  on  this  occasion,  as  Campbell  does 
on  another: 

“Wave  Munich,  all  your  banners  wave. 

And  charge  with  all  your  chivalry,” 

And  should  you  in  the  contest  fall,  remember  with  old 
Homer; 

“  Such  honors  Ilion  to  her  hero  paid, 

And  peaceful  slept  the  mighty  Hector’s  shade.” 

But,  gentlemen,  with  proper  efforts  you  will  not  fail.  It 
is  impossible,  wholly  impossible.  Allow  me  then  to  close 
in  one  of  Scott’s  beautiful  strains,  which  describes  your 
situation,  condition,  and  duty,  as  well  as  mine: 

“‘Charge,  Chester,  charge!  On,  Stanley,  on!’ 

Were  the  last  words  of  Marmion.” 


Rise  and  Progress  of  Chicago, 


The  moon  shines  dimly  just  after  the  sun  has  set.  To 
give  reminiscences  of  the  early  history  of  Chicago  in  a 
form  that  would  be  likely  to  interest  you,  particularly  after 
having  listened  to  the  lofty  aspirations  and  eloquent  dis- 
coursings  of  a  Wentworth,  Bross,  Balestier,  and  others  who 
have  favored  us  upon  this  subject  with  gems  from  the 
well-filled  storehouse  of  their  polished  and  cultivated  in¬ 
tellects,  is  a  task  that  I  might  well  shrink  from,  and  be  a 
silent  admirer  of  the  rich  developments  of  these  faithful 
biographers,  rather  than  attempt  any  elaborate  description 
of  its  early  progress  myself;  but,  however  much  may  have 
been  said,  there  is  still  room  for  the  further  unfolding  of 
its  primitive  doings  and  wonderful  strides  to  popularity 
and  greatness. 

It  is  not  our  purpose  to  trace  the  present  popularity  and 
important  advancement  of  Chicago,  from  the  early  explorers 
of  the  great  North-west,  down  through  past  ages,  to  the 
probable  discovery  of  a  point  on  Lake  Michigan,  that  was 
destined  to  be,  in  the  distant  future,  the  Metropolis  of  the 
Universe,  that,  to  our  mind,  would  be  too  chimerical,  and 
fraught  with  too  much  uncertainty  to  command  respectful 
consideration;  but,  as  near  as  memory  will  permit,  to  “hold 
the  mirror  up  to  nature,”  and  relate  some  of  the  more  promi¬ 
nent  features  of  its  progress  within  the  memory  of  its  “old¬ 
est  inhabitants”  now  resident  among  us,  many  of  whom 
deserve  honorable  mention ;  we  might  also  name  those  who 
have  done  much  toward  enhancing  the  growth,  importance, 
and  prosperity  of  Chicago;  but  where  all  have  done  so  well 
it  would  be  invidious  to  particularize,  we  will,  therefore, 
content  ourself  by  at  once  giving  our  personal  experience 
of  the  early  rise  and  growth  of  the  City  of  the  West. 


20 


RISE  AND  PROGRESS 


Let  us,  for  a  moment,  remove  the  veil,  and  take  a  re¬ 
trospect  of  the  past  forty-five  years,  we  will  then  have 
disclosed  to  view  a  barren  waste,  the  abode  of  the  timid 
fawn,  the  deer,  the  wolf,  and  tawny  Indian,  whose  bark 
alone  skimmed  along  these  majestic  lakes,  claiming  the 
ownership  of  their  pure  and  limpid  waters.  Now  mark 
the  change !  These  lofty  spires  that  rise  to  their  graceful 
and  giddy  heights;  the  busy  mill  and  spacious  warehouse; 
the  stately  mansion  and  lowly  cot,  around  whose  slender 
portals  the  woodbine  entwines  its  caressing  tendrils.  We 
might  extend  the  view,  and  admire  the  dottings  of  civili¬ 
zation  and  culture  in  the  innumerable  cottages  and  pre¬ 
tentious  farm-houses  that  nestle  among  the  tall  grass  and 
fringe  the  borders  of  our  rivers  and  woodlands,  but  our 
purpose  just  now  is  a  review  of  the  early  history  and 
doings  of  Chicago. 

When  we  first  landed  on  these  shores,  our  impression 
was  that  it  might  be  a  place  of  some  importance,  were  it 
not  so  low,  and  I  ventured  to  record  my  hastily-conceived 
views  upon  the  register  of  the  hotel  where  we  remained 
for  a  few  hours;  my  entry  ran  something  like  this:  “April 
20,  1832.  James  A.  Marshall,  Ogdensburgh,  New  York; 
this  might  be  a  place  of  some  importance,  but  the  ground 
is  too  low.”  Two  or  three  hours  afterward,  I  chanced  to 
look  over  the  quire  of  paper  dubbed  a  register,  and  found 
added  to  my  remarks,  “Solomon  2d.”  I  looked  wise  for 
a  moment,  but  felt  that  my  talent  had  been  over-estimated, 
and  have  never  since  undertaken  to  be  wiser  than  my 
friend,  whom,  I  afterward  learned,  honored  me  with  that 
illustrious  appellation.  I  found  the  place  too  small  for  me 
to  hope  to  make  anything  by  my  profession  (a  physician), 
the  garrison  being,  supplied  with  one  of  the  best  in  the 
country  in  the  person  of  Dr.  Philip  Maxwell,  so  we  shipped 
at  once  for  Navarino,  Green  Bay,  Wis.,  where  we  landed 
in  time  to  see  three  soldiers  branded  and  drummed  out 
of  camp,  also  to  see  the  payment  of  7000  Indians  by  Col. 
Boyd.  I  remained  at  Navarino  until  August  5th,  1834, 
when  1  sailed  in  the  Schooner  Nancy  Dousman,  Capt. 
Saunders,  for  Chicago.  After  a  very  boisterous  passage, 
we  arrived  on  the  15th  of  the  same  month,  where  I  have 
resided,  with  the  exception  of  one  year  only,  ever  since. 

To  undertake  the  recital  of  all,  or  even  many  of  the 


OF  CHICAGO. 


21 


prominent  causes  of  Chicago’s  rise  and  wonderful  progress 
within  the  past  forty-five  years,  and  do  justice  to  the  sub¬ 
ject,  would  occupy  more  time  than  could  be  devoted  to 
one  lecture,  unless  it  were  prolonged  to  an  unreasonable 
length,  and  thereby  losing  much  of  its  intended  usefulness; 
we  will,  therefore,  to  relieve  our  subject  from  the  dull 
monotony  incident  to  the  recital  of  statistical  forms,  for 
the  time  being,  fancy  ourselves  in  an  artist’s  studio,  invit¬ 
ing  him,  with  canvas,  paint,  and  brush,  to  create  his  ideal 
of  a  great  and  marvelous  city,  of  less  than  half  a  century’s 
growth,  drawing  from  the  resources  of  his  imaginative 
genius  all  that  could  give  it  eclat  and  beauty,  his  subject 
a  low,  uninviting  marsh,  a  sluggish  stream  on  one  side,  a 
bold,  majestic  lake  in  front,  an  extended  prairie  behind; 
with  this  unseemly  background  we  will  watch  his  progress 
in  filling  out  the  picture.  On  the  right,  as  you  face  the 
north,  is  a  group  of  one -story  block  houses,  surrounded 
by  a  high  fence;  the  two-story  buildings  at  the  east  of  the 
hollow  square  are  the  quarters  of  the  commandant  and 
officers;  that  hip-roofed,  square  block-house,  with  a  row  of 
small  port-holes,  is  the  look-out,  where  sentinels  are  placed 
to  watch  the  approach  of  hostile  Indians,  the  lower  part 
used  as  a  guard-house  —  that  is  Fort  Dearborn;  the  river 
meandering  its  way  around  the  east  side  of  the  fort,  run¬ 
ning  southward,  mingling  with  the  lake  at  Madison  street, 
east  of  which  is  a  peninsula  connecting  the  north  and 
south  sides  of  the  river  (and  was  the  only  point,  forty-three 
years  ago,  of  ingress  and  egress  for  vessels  to  and  from 
Lake  Michigan,  until  March,  1833,  when  the  spring  freshet, 
accompanied  by  a  violent  storm,  forced  a  direct  channel 
to  the  lake,  which  was  afterward  dredged  and  piers  run 
out,  by  direction  of  the  Government,  and  which  now  forms 
the  fine  harbor  for  the  white-winged  messengers  that  enrich 
our  country  by  their  precious  burdens).  VVe  will  accom¬ 
pany  our  artist  a  little  farther;  at  the  left  of  the  fort,  and 
running  west,  are  a  few  modest  structures,  designed,  appar¬ 
ently,  for  the  double  purpose  of  stores  and  dwellings,  ex¬ 
tending  west  as  far  as  Dearborn  street  (there  the  business 
portion  of  the  village,  for  a  time,  rested;  south  of  Lake 
and  east  of  Dearborn  streets,  for  three  or  four  blocks,  was 
a  corn  and  potato  field.  The  principal  forwarding  business 
was  done  on  the  north  side  of  the  Chicago  River  for  several 


22 


RISE  AND  PROGRESS 


years,  but  the  personal  interest  and  enterprise  of  a  few  gen¬ 
tlemen  residing  on  the  South  Side,  who  had  considerable 
real  estate  unoccupied,  changed  the  channel  of  business  by 
building  warehouses  on  that  side  of  the  river,  after  which  it 
was  transacted  there;  indeed,  the  North  Side  never  recovered 
its  former  business  prestige,  but  contented  itself  by  build¬ 
ing  palatial  residences,  and  being  considered  the  place  par 
excellence ,  and  the  home  of  the  elite  of  Chicago).  We  next 
observe  a  ferry  crossing  the  river  at  Dearborn  street,  con¬ 
nected  by  a  rope  attached  to  a  windlass  at  each  side  of 
the  river,  and  a  scow  in  the  centre,  propelled  by  hand 
power,  placed  there  for  the  convenience  of  the  residents 
of  both  sides  of  the  river.  This  rude  piece  of  mechanism 
remained  there  until  a  Mr.  Norton  erected  a  draw-bridge, 
spanning  the  river  at  the  same  place  where  the  old  scow 
had  done  such  good  service  for  so  long  a  time,  but  whose 
occupation,  like  Othello’s,  was  now  gone.  It  was  igno- 
miniously  torn  from  its  moorings  to  make  room  for  the 
unwieldy  structure  that  supplanted  it.  From  this  time 
onward  the  city  grew  rapidly,  and  from  this  time  may  be 
dated  the  commencement  of  its  now  universal  popularity. 
We  will  now  leave  our  artist  to  finish  the  picture  as  it 
may  best  suit  his  own  ideality.  Some  new  beauty  is  now 
developed  —  some  wonderful  advancement  made  in  the 
growth  and  importance  of  the  painted  city;  the  unfinished 
streets  show  marks  of  improvement,  lined  with  palatial 
business  structures,  ponderous  warehouses,  elegant  and 
elaborate  places  of  worship,  halls  of  justice  clothed  in 
Oriental  magnificence,  school -houses  with  substantial  ex¬ 
teriors  are  brought  to  view,  avenues  laid  out  and  lined 
with  costly  marble  mansions,  parks  and  boulevards  gem 
the  environs  with  rare  exotics  and  elaborately  ornamental, 
varied,  and  beautiful  foliage,  the  streets  are  as  smooth  as 
parlor  floors ;  nothing  is  left  undone  that  imaginative  genius 
could  invent  to  make  a  city  that  would  be  the  wonder 
and  admiration  of  the  civilized  world.  The  picture  com¬ 
pleted  is  heralded  beyond  the  seas,  sent  broadcast  among 
the  cities  of  the  east,  and  presented  to  the  wealthy,  the 
intellectual,  and  the  enterprising  of  our  own  land;  they 
shrug  their  shoulders  knowingly,  acknowledging  its  great 
beauty  and  the  consummate  ideality  of  the  artist,  but 
think  that  he  has  devoted  too  much  to  the  imaginative 


OF  CHICAGO. 


23 


to  assume  a  reality  among  the  cities  of  the  world,  turning 
from  what  they  supposed  the  visionary  imaginings  of  a 
fertile  brain  and  elaborate  brush  to  something  more  sub¬ 
stantial  and  real.  The  artist  invites  their  presence  to 
witness  the  last  finishing  touch,  then  with  unbounded  con¬ 
fidence  in  himself,  he  traces  the  name  Chicago.  The 
multitude  exclaims,  “It  is  no  ideal,  but  a  veritable  reality, 
and  now  stands  the  wonder  of  the  universe.” 

Thus  we  have  presented,  in  a  feeble  way,  but  a  bird’s- 
eye  view  of  the  germ  of  our  present  great  Metropolis;  its 
early  outlook  by  no  means  calculated  to  encourage  the 
enterprising  explorer,  has  been  brought  to  view;  and 
watching  with  marked  interest  the  unparalleled  improve¬ 
ment  on  every  hand,  we  are  awed  into  silence,  and  dare 
not  prophesy  its  future  greatness.  As  the  sturdy  farmer 
scans  his  field  but  lately  cleared  of  a  cumbrous  undergrowth 
of  shrubs  and  thickets,  the  ground  untilled,  the  seed  un¬ 
sown — glowing  prospects  of  a  rich  harvest  are  least  sug¬ 
gesting,  but,  when  with  implements  of  agriculture  and  deter¬ 
mined  will,  he  delves  and  toils  from  morn  till  night,  faith 
■spurs  him  on,  and  slowly,  but  surely,  the  planted  seed, 
the  budding  stalk,  and  waving  grain,  insure  a  harvest,  and 
recompense  is  nigh.  So  to  the  early  settler,  Chicago  stood 
desolate  and  alone,  the  undergrowth  of  uncivilized  Indian 
habitation  lent  an  uninviting  aspect  to  the  eastern  world, 
and  advancement,  for  the  time  being,  seemed  impossible; 
but  the  rich  soil  of  natural  advantages  was  unearthed  by 
the  foresight  of  our  pioneers,  the  seed  planted,  then  arose 
in  plenteous  harvest,  the  wonderful  products  of  a  new-made 
vineyard,  until  now,  after  a  growth  of  forty  years,  the  City 
sketched  upon  the  canvas,  loses  its  primitive  indentity.  and 
stands  before  the  world  a  marvel. 

This  picture,  however,  portrays  but  the  outward  part  of 
Chicago's  greatness,  it  is  the  internal  workings  that  have 
given  it  the  wonderful  celebrity  that  it  now  enjoys.  Let  us, 
for  a  moment,  glance  at  some  of  these  causes  which  have  led 
to  and  done  so  much  toward  its  advancement.  First,  its 
location,  being  at  the  head  of  lake  navigation  and  the  only 
prominent  lake  frontage  that  the  State  of  Illinois  has  for 
the  receipt  and  transportation  of  her  vast  agricultural 
and  mineral  resources,  thereby  enjoying  some  State  pride. 
Again,  the  immense  lumber  interests  form  a  large  share  of 


24 


RISE  AND  PROGRESS 


consideration;  from  a  beginning,  within  the  time  indicated 
at  the  commencement  of  these  remarks,  of  100,000,000 
feet,  it  has  now  increased  to  more  than  1,500,000,000  feet 
per  annum.  The  cereal  products,  too,  which  here  find  a 
market  and  outlet,  have  increased  from  5000  bushels  in 
the  year  1834  to  more  than  15,000,000  bushels  per  annum; 
nor  is  this  all,  the  pork  product  advancing  from  500  to 
over  1,500.000  hogs  packed  every  year,  aside  from  those 
used  for  home  consumption.  In  our  monetary  exchange, 
how  wonderful  the  advance,  from  $25,000  per  week,  which 
at  that  time  indicated  marked  progress,  it  now  requires 
more  than  $20,000,000  to  do  a  week’s  financial  business. 
The  advancement  in  general  business,  too,  is  well  calcu¬ 
lated  to  amaze  the  mere  casual  observer,  from  an  insignifi¬ 
cant  sum  of  a  few  thousand  dollars  required  to  transact 
our  annual  business  forty-three  years  ago,  the  enormous 
sum  of  more  than  $200,000,000  is  now  necessary  to  sat¬ 
isfy  the  demands  of  the  thousands  who  look  to  Chicago 
for  their  supplies.  Out  of  the  fifteen  billions  of  dollars  an¬ 
nually  required  to  feed  and  clothe  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  millions  of  that  sum  is 
necessary  to  feed  and  clothe  the  citizens  of  Chicago  for  the 
same  time. 

We  might  go  on,  ad  libitum,  enumerating  the  capacious 
and  unparalleled  increase  in  the  innumerable  branches  of 
industry  that  are  adding  so  much  to  the  importance,  and 
expanding  the  area  of  our  city  to  its  present  ponderous 
proportions;  but  enough  has  already  been  noticed  to  sat¬ 
isfy,  without  doubt,  the  most  sceptical  of  its  admirers. 
But  perhaps  the  most  wonderful  rise  in  values  has  taken 
place  in  real  estate;  property  that,  in  1834,  sold  for  $200 
per  lot  of  50  feet,  has  been  sold  within  the  past  year 
for  $2000  per  foot,  being  an  advance  of  $99,800  from 
the  original  purchase;  this,  however,  cannot  be  considered 
a  fair  criterion  of  the  general  advancement  of  real  estate,, 
nevertheless,  the  increase  has  been,  upon  an  average, 
since  the  time  specified,  about  four  hundred  per  cent, 
of  its  original  value;  still,  it  fluctuated  more  or  less  until 
the  commencement  of  the  Canal  land  sales  in  1848,  since 
then,  real  estate  has  been  reckoned  according  to  prices 
at  which  it  sold  at  that  time,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
afterward,  sales  were  negotiated  upon  Canal  time,  or 


OF  CHICAGO. 


2  e 


Canal  terms,  as  it  was  called — that  was,  one-fourth  cash, 
balance  in  one,  two,  and  three  years,  with  interest  at 
six  per  cent,  per  annum,  payable  annually  in  advance. 
The  wealth  of  some  of  our  millionaires  may,  therefore, 
be  dated  from  that  time,  as  few  could  boast  of  more 
than  their  thousands  until  the  Canal  sales,  which  placed 
an  estimated  value  upon  real  estate,  furnishing  a  new 
impetus  to  all  branches  of  business.  To  the  Canal  sales, 
then,  of  1848  to  1853,  when  more  than  $3,000,000  worth 
of  property  was  sold  (all  of  which  I  sold  at  public  sale), 
is  due  the  credit  of  advancing  the  pecuniary  interests  of 
our  fellow-citizens'  more  than  any  other  circumstance  since 
the  foundation  of  the  city  government.  Taking  advantage 
of  the  low  prices  at  which  Canal  property  sold,  they  pur¬ 
chased,  and  having  the  sagacity,  some  of  them,  to  hold 
on  to  their  purchases,  they  increased  in  value  upon  their 
hands,  and  made  them  rich.  The  peculiar  location,  superior 
agricultural  and  internal  advantages,  railroad  facilities,  water 
communication,  and  enterprise  of  our  citizens  combined, 
is  what  has  given  to  Chicago  its  eminence  at  home  and 
abroad,  and  not ,  as  some  have  supposed,  the  sagacity  and 
enterprise  of  a  few  of  the  more  fortunate  of  our  fellow-citi¬ 
zens,  who,  for  want  of  purchasers  at  the  time  that  they  de¬ 
sired  to  sell,  were  obliged  to  hold  on  to  their  property,  there¬ 
by  becoming  wealthy,  more  by  reason  of  their  misfortune — 
or  rather,  their  good  fortune — in  being  unable  to  sell. 
Nevertheless,  great  credit  is  due  them  for  their  liberality 
in  using  their  wealth  in  the  erection  of  elegant  structures, 
and  in  otherwise  lending  their  aid  in  beautifying  and  adorn¬ 
ing  our  city. 

Many,  nowever,  who  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  build¬ 
ing  up  and  advancing  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  our 
City,  have  passed  away,  leaving  names  not  recorded  in  the 
activities  of  life,  but  graven  indelibly  upon  the  memories  of 
their  fellow-citizens,  and  are  justly  extolled  for  their  upright 
lives  and  many  virtues.  Those  of  the  pioneers  who  remain 
to  witness  the  further  growth  of  their  favorite  and  patron 
city  speak  gently  of  the  departed,  but,  with  pride  in  their 
name  and  tireless  enterprise,  point  to  the  vast  resources  of 
our  wonderful  City,  and  say,  “these  are  their  eulogies,  it 
needs  no  marble  column  to  tell  of  their  greatness,  their 


2  6 


RISE  AND  PROGRESS 


deeds  are  written  in  the  early  annals  of  famed  Chicago.” 
Many  of  them  did  not  live  to  witness  its  sudden  destruc¬ 
tion  and  succeeding  rapid  progress.  But,  in  the  dawning 
years  of  our  City’s  eminence,  was  established — the  energy, 
strength,  and  ground  work  of  the  enterprise  that  bid  it 
rise. 

The  great  and  unprecedented  increase  of  our  population 
may  be,  and,  perhaps,  is,  attributable  to  the  widespread  in¬ 
formation  given  of  its  superior  advantages,  particularly  so 
since  the  fire  of  1871. 

A  catastrophy  that  will  never  be  obliterated  from  the 
memory  of  those  who  witnessed  the  awful  spectacle,  a  scene 
of  grandeur  and  sublimity  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the 
world's  conflagrations, — the  accumulated  wealth  of  many 
years  swept  away  in  an  hour;  the  millionnaire  of  yesterday, 
to-day  walks  hand  in  hand  with  poverty;  the  prospects  of 
a  competence  in  after  years  silenced  forever.  Thus  we 
contemplated  when  viewing  the  fire  of  Oct.  9,  1871.  After 
the  great  holocaust  had  given  way  to  smouldering  debris, 
with  others,  we  strolled  among  the  ruins,  meeting  at  almost 
every  step  some  well-known  friend,  whose  life's  earnings 
had  been  sacrificed  through  the  carelessness  of  irresponsi¬ 
ble  parties.  One  friend  in  particular,  who  had  been  one 
of  the  most  unfortunate  of  the  wealthy  men  of  our  City. 
I  thus  accosted,  after  offering  my  sympathy:  “Mr.  C***, 
you  must  be  one  of  the  heaviest  losers  by  the  fire;”  he 
smiled  pleasantly,  and  answerd,  “I  have  lost  heavily,  it 
is  true,  but  I  am  not  discouraged;  in  ten  years,  Chi¬ 
cago  will  be  a  greater  City  than  it  ever  was,  and  I  shall  do 
my  share  to  make  it  so ;”  and  he  has  kept  his  word.  From 
that  time  onward,  the  City  was  the  centre  of  interest  and 
attraction.  Many  who  came  were  deeply  interested  in  what 
they  saw,  and  were  conquered  by  the  veritable  facts  visible 
before  them,  and  not  only  remained  themselves,  but  advised 
their  friends  to  come  to  this  eldorado  of  the  west;  the  result, 
as  shown,  is,  that  since  the  time  stated,  our  population 
has  increased  a  thousand-fold,  from  500  inhabitants  forty- 
three  years  ago,  we  have  now  more  than  500/000,  accord¬ 
ing  to  estimates  recently  made,  and  still  they  come.  Our 
public  school -houses — or  rather,  our  school-house — then 
contained  less  than  100  pupils;  now,  more  than  40,000 


OF  CHICAGO. 


27 


children  congregate  and  occupy  seats  provided  for  them 
in  our  commodious  and  imposingly-built  public  school 
edifices,  fitting  these  thousands  of  immortal  minds  for  use¬ 
fulness  and  honor,  preparing  them  to  take  part  in  the  great 
panorama  of  life.  Aside  from  this  formidable  array  of 
young  ideas  that  sip  knowledge  from  the  public  fountain, 
there  are  a  number  of  private  institutions,  colleges,  and 
seminaries,  occupied  by  some  thousands  of  the  children 
whose  parents  prefer  this  manner  of  instruction.  Thus,  it 
will  be  seen,  that  while  we  have  been  engaged,  and  seem¬ 
ingly  bound  to  the  all-absorbing  influence  of  gain,  the 
rising  generation  has  not  been  forgotten,  means  have  been 
provided  for  the  ample  development  of  their  mental  facul¬ 
ties,  intellectual  aspirations,  and  moral  culture.  All  honor 
is  due  to  our  sagacious  law  makers  for  these  timely  safe¬ 
guards.  May  free  schools,  free  speech,  and  a  free  press 
continue  to  be  the  law  of  the  land,  although  the  latter  has 
often  been  abused  by  the  injudicious  management  of  un¬ 
thinking  and  unprincipled  men,  nevertheless,  it  had  better 
be  so  than  to  interfere  with  its  freedom. 

A  due  and  proper  regard  for  moral  and  religious  rights 
is  incumbent  upon  all  good  citizens;  the  free  discussion 
of  their  favorite  dogmas  is  allowable  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  our  land,  and  there  let  it  remain — further 
recognition  is  dangerous  to  the  peace  and  well-being  of 
our  country,  as  well  as  to  our  individual  privileges. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  these  many  years  of  pros¬ 
perity  and  wonderful  advancement  have  been  allowed  to 
pass  without  some  intervening  incidents,  which,  at  the  time, 
were  fraught  with  more  or  less  amusement  and  enjoyment. 
Although  time  has  transformed  the  ambitious  and  ever- 
restless  youth  into  matured  manhood,  and  some  into  de¬ 
clining  life,  yet,  in  calling  the  roll  of  time  backward,  we 
find  recorded  many  laughable  and  ludicrous  incidents.  We 
will  omit  several  amusing  anecdotes  for  want  of  time  to 
relate  them;  there  are  a  few,  however,  which  I  think  that 
I  shall  always  remember.  Many  of  our  older  settlers  will 
recollect  the  old  Presbyterian  Church,  located  near  the  S.- 
W.  corner  of  Clark  and  Lake  streets.  We  were  in  the  habit 
then,  as  now,  of  holding  Wednesday  evening  prayer-meet¬ 
ings;  that  most  excellent  man,  Rev.  Jeremiah  Porter,  had 
left  us,  in  his  place  was  a  dashing,  eloquent  young  preacher, 


28 


RISE  AND  PROGRESS 


bran-new  from  college,  but  entirely  unfitted  to  occupy  the 
position  he  was  called  to  fill.  After  these  meetings  the 
pastor  would  hasten  from  the  speaker's  desk  and  offer  his 
services,  as  a  general  thing,  to  one  of  the  prettiest  young 
ladies  present.  Of  course,  he  was  rarely,  if  ever,  refused. 
Upon  the  particular  evening  in  question,  he  approached  a 
young  lady  of  exceeding  beauty,  proffering  his  services  as 
chaperon ,  which  were  accepted.  At  the  same  time,  I  had 
the  honor  of  escorting  a  near  relative  of  the  lady  alluded 
to.  and  for  whose  domicile  we  were  all  bound,  the  party 
of  the  first  part  taking  the  lead;  the  night  was  extremely 
dark,  and,  not  having  the  advantage  of  street  lamps  and 
gas-light,  we  had  to  feel  our  way  along;  it  was  just  after 
a  very  profuse  rain,  our  streets  —  without  sidewalks  or 
any  such  thing,  —  were  very  unpleasant  thoroughfares. — 
We  had  not  proceeded  far,  when  we  heard  a  shriek  from 
the  young  lady,  and  an  “Oh,  dear  me!  Where  are  we 
going?”  from  the  reverend  gentleman.  Another  shriek, 
then  one  more,  still  louder,  cn  concert ,  proceeded  from  out 
the  more  than  Egyptian-darkness,  when  the  lady  at  my  side 
exclaimed,  in  alarm,  “Mr.  Marshall,  what  is  the  matter?” 

“Oh,  nothing  more,”  I  replied,  “than  that  Mr.  -  has 

led  Miss -  into  that  slough  just  opposite  your  house.” 

The  fact  was,  in  crossing  the  street,  as  they  supposed,  the 
night  being  so  very  dark,  they  walked  straight  into  the 
slough  that  extended  quite  across  the  street  and  nearly 
half  way  down  the  block;  into  it  they  went,  until  they 
were  nearly  up  to  their  waists  in  mud  and  water.  The 
more  they  tried  to  extricate  themselves,  the  deeper  they 
got  into  the  mire;  finally,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  lady 
whom  I  was  accompanying,  I  told  them  to  stand  perfectly 
still  until  I  could  get  a  lantern,  which  I  succeeded  in  doing 
in  a  very  short  time,  when  I  held  the  light  up,  so  that  we 
could  see  them  and  they  view  themselves,  you  ought  to 
have  seen  the  look  that  girl  gave  me  (in  the  meantime 
the  lady  at  my  side  had  her  mouth  filled  with  linen  cam¬ 
bric  to  keep  from  screaming  right  out),  then,  half  laughing 
and  half  crying,  she  paddled  her  own  canoe  until  she 
reached  terra  firma ,  then  rushed  for  her  home,  which  was 
not  more  than  fifty  feet  from  them,  nor  had  it  been  any 
of  the  time,  although  they  had  been  skirmishing  in  various 
directions.  Meanwhile,  the  clerical  gentleman  had  drawn 


OF  CHICAGO. 


29 


himself  out,  covered  with  mud.  Such  a_  countenance  ! — it 
was  a  perfect  black  and  tan;  he  shook  himself,  bade  us 
good  night,  and  left  for  his  study.  It  may  be  of  interest 
to  some  to  know  that  the  slough  was  located  on  Clark 
street,  between  Lake  and  South  Water  streets. 

Many  very  amusing  incidents  occurred,  which  are  worthy 
of  recital,  but  a  few  more  must  suffice.  One,  I  remember, 
was  of  a  young  lady  crossing  one  of  our  principal  streets, 
the  way  seemed  clear,  so  she  tripped  along  very  gracefully 
until  she  had  almost  reached  the  opposite  side,  when  the 
crust,  which  had  formed  from  the  heat  of  the  sun,  gave 
way,  and  down  she  began  to  go — down,  down,  down,  until 
she  had  gone  about  as  far  down  as  she  could,  and  was 
looking  pitifully  around  for  help  from  some  source.  A 
gentleman  near  by,  observing  her  predicament,  hastened 
to  her  rescue,  and  extricated  the  fair  lady  from  her  perilous 
position.  You  may  be  sure  she  was  not  as  tidy  when 
she  again  touched  solid  foundation  as  when  she  started  to 
cross  the  street.  Thanking  the  gentleman  for  his  timely 
and  polite  assistance,  she  wended  her  way  to  the  nearest 
convenient  place,  and,  taking  a  forlorn  look  at  herself, 
proceeded  to  adjust  her  toilet.  The  finale  of  this  little 
incident  was  somewhat  romantic,  it  furnished  the  means 
of  culminating  an  acquaintance  of  friendship  merely  into 
one  of  admiration  and  affection,  the  result  being  that,  not 
long  after,  the  parties  engaged  in  a  matrimoninl  alliance, 
which  was  consummated  in  a  remote  part  of  the  town, 
away  from  the  thickly  settled  portion  of  the  city — on  the 
corner  of  Michigan  avenue  and  Madison  street.  Their 
wedding  tour  was  a  drive  to  Hard  Scrabble  and  back,  a 
suburban  retreat  containing  one  log  house,  and  situate 
about  4^  miles  from  town — the  site  now  forming  the 
outskirts  of  Bridgeport.  The  wedding  cortege  consisted  of 
two  dilapidated  carriages  and  one  buggy,  all  the  available 
stylish  turnouts  that  the  city  could  boast  of,  except  carts, 
and  which,  by  the  way,  were  the  only  means  of  convey¬ 
ance  for  the  elite  of  the  town.  A  buffalo  robe  was  placed 
in  the  bottom  of  the  carts,  they  were  backed  up,  received 
their  precious  freight,  taken  to  their  destination,  and  then 
dumped  down  like  a  load  of  coal. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  seeming  inconveniences,  there 
was  more  real  social  enjoyment  in  our  pioneer  society  than 


30 


RISE  AND  PROGRESS 


can  now  be  found  in  the  elegant  and  costly  receptions 
given  in  palatial  mansions  of  wealth  and  refinement;  there 
was  that  absence  of  over-restraint;  the  strict  forms  of  eti¬ 
quette  were  not  so  closely  observed;  there  were  no  million- 
naires — no  foreign  Counts  to  entertain;  no  Parisian  airs  to 
assume  as  a  pre-requisite  to  initiation  into  the  best  society; 
invitations  were  not  sent  on  highly -perfumed  Paris  billets 
doux,  but  by  oral  representation,  thus:  “George,  if  you  see 
James,  tell  him  to  invite  Benjamin  and  William,  and  I 
will  invite  Byron  and  Charles,  to  a  little  sociable  to-night 
at  Maria’s  (now  everybody  knew  Maria  as  well  as  Mrs. 
Josiah  Allen  knew  Betsy  Bobbitt);  you  bring  Andelucia, 
and  1  will  see  that  Agnes,  Angeline,  Elizabeth,  and  Rose 
are  there.  We  shall  have  a  first-rate  time.  Old  George 
White  will  be  there  with  his  fiddle,”  etc.  Mind  you,  these 
are  no  fictitious  names,  but  veritable  actors  on  the  social 
stage  at  the  time,  some  of  whom  are  now  living,  and,  were 
they  present,  would  at  once  recognize  the  truth  of  what  I 
am  repeating.  The  George  White  mentioned  was  black 
as  the  raven  wing  of  the  night,  and  was  caterer  for  all 
first  society  people.  One  of  the  necessary  requisites,  how¬ 
ever,  for  attending  these  social  gatherings,  was,  if  the  party 
was  a  new  comer,  did  he  belong  to  the  first  society?  If 
yea,  that  was  all  that  was  required  of  him  as  a  passport 
to  our  social  circle,  otherwise  no  intercourse  was  enjoyed 
until  initiated  into  the  first.  You  will  observe,  then,  that 
certain  requisites  were  necessary  before  even  the  nabobs 
of  the  east  could  enjoy  these  primitive  receptions,  unless 
properly  vouched  for. 

An  amusing  incident  of  the  olden  time,  although  not 
reflecting  favorably  upon  the  morals  of  some  of  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  our  early  associates,  nevertheless,  shows  to  what 
abandon  a  few  of  our  most  prominent  citizens  would  submit 
themselves  under  a  want  of  proper  restraint.  Two  promi¬ 
nent  legal  gentlemen  had  left  their  office,  and,  passing  the 
old  Tremont  House,  then  located  on  the  north-west  corner 
of  Lake  and  Dearborn  streets,  they  heard  an  unusual  noise 
in  the  dining-room.  With  much  difficulty  they  succeeded 
in  gaining  admission,  and  found  five  or  six  gentlemen  of 
the  highest  respectability  having,  what  they  were  pleased 
to  call,  “a  high  old  time.”  One  was  rolling  and  kicking 
up  his  heels  on  the  dining  table,  divested  of  his  coat  and 


OF  CHICAGO. 


31 


vest,  and  making  the  welkin  ring  with  his  unearthly  noise; 
another  was  at  the  lower  end  of  the  room  praying;  a  third 
was  dancing  a  war  dance,  with  two  Indians,  around  the 
dining  table ;  a  fourth,  amusing  himself  by  cutting  up  capers 
in  imitation  of  an  old-fashioned  jig,  all  on  his  own  respon¬ 
sibility;  two  others  were  lying  fast  asleep  under  the  table. 
Thus  they  were  all  employed  when  these  gentlemen  gained 
an  admittance.  Finding  escape  by  the  doorway  impossible, 
they  took  the  next  best  plan,  and  jumped  out  the  window. 
They  were  fined  $5  each  for  their  intrusion,  by  the  parties- 
having  the  “gay  old  time,”  which  they  promptly  paid.  We 
could  give  the  names  of  all  these  parties,  but  they  have 
passed  away,  and  out  of  respect  to  the  departed,  we  will 
refrain  from  so  doing.  We  would  say,  however,  that  they 
all  became  honored  members  of  society,  filling  City,  State, 
and  Federal  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility  with  fidelity 
to  the  government  and  honor  to  themselves. 

In  migrating  to  a  new  country,  many  interesting  circum¬ 
stances  occur,  which  leave  a  lasting  impression  upon  the 
mind,  notwithstanding  intervening  events  that  would  be 
calculated  to  occupy  the  popular  attention.  I  recall  just 
now,  among  others,  the  Indian  payments,  which,  I  think, 
occurred  as  late  as  1835  (a  few  tribes  remained  later,  but 
not  many).  Their  manner  of  giving  in  the  number  of  each 
household,  in  order  to  receive  their  annuity,  was  in  keeping 
with  their  own  originality.  Selecting  one  of  the  more 
prominent  of  their  number  (generally  the  chief)  to  receive 
their  payment,  the  “ modus  operand. i”  was  in  this  wise:  for 
the  heads  of  the  family,  two  large  notches  were  cut  at  the 
top  of  the  stick,  then  smaller  notches  followed  underneath, 
indicating  the  number  of  children  in  each  family.  Curi¬ 
osity  led  me  to  inquire  of  Col.  Boyd,  the  Indian  Agent, 
if  he  was  not  occasionally  imposed  upon,  or  did  they  not 
sometimes  make  mistakes.  He  informed  me  that  he  had' 
never  detected  an  instance  of  fraud  or  mistake  in  the  count 
during  all  the  payments  he  had  made.  After  receiving 
their  payment,  which  was  always  in  silver  half  dollars,  they 
would  at  once  repair  to  their  wigwams  and  pass  the  money 
over  to  their  squaws  for  safe  -  keeping,  who  would  tie  it 
up  in  one  corner  of  their  blankets,  often  to  be  removed 
by  some  adroit  thief,  who  would  lie  in  wait  until  they  went 
to  sleep,  then  cut  it  from  the  blanket;  thus  depriving  the 


32 


RISE  AXI)  PROGRESS  OF  CHICAGO. 


poor,  ignorant  creatures  of  ail  their  worldly  wealth,  no  one 
interesting  themselves  in  their  behalf,  or  sympathizing  with 
them  in  their  loss. 

After  their  payment,  many  of  them  would  remain  several 
days,  and  favor  us  with  a  display  of  some  of  their  princi¬ 
pal  amusements,  such  as  shooting  pennies,  with  bow  and 
arrow,  from  a  stick  placed  some  distance  from  them  in  the 
road.  They  also  performed  a  variety  of  dances,  some  of 
them  exceedingly  novel,  particularly  the  sick  dance.  The 
sick  person  is  placed  at  the  entrance  of  the  wigwam ;  one 
of  their  number  takes  his  position  just  in  front,  with  an 
instrument  resembling  a  gong  or  tambourine;  the  relatives 
and  friends  of  the  invalid  form  a  circle  around  the  musi¬ 
cian,  all  being  gaily  dressed  and  painted,  each  one  holding 
in  his  hand  the  skin  of  some  animal,  generally  an  otter  or 
mink;  then,  at  the  tap  of  the  gong,  and  ihere  is  no  mistaking 
the  tap,  for  it  is  given  with  the  full  strength  of  the  Indian, 
they  all  commence  dancing  around,  singing,  crying,  and 
making  other  hideous  noises;  at  a  given  signal  bow  before 
the  patient  and  push  out  these  perfumed  skins  toward 
them,  after  the  manner  of  shaking  incense.  This  dance 
continues  at  intervals  until  the  sufferer  either  recovers  or 
dies,  but  they  generally  die,  for  the  noise  is  so  intolerably 
great  that  it  is  next  to  impossible  for  them  to  recover. 
Their  war  dances,  too,  are  very  unique,  differing  entirely 
from  the  sick  or  peace  dances,  if  possible,  more  noisy  than 
either;  but  enough.  On  some  future  occasion,  I  may  have 
the  honor  of  presenting  to  you  a  more  extended  descrip¬ 
tion  of  the  social  and  religious  doings  in  the  earlier  history 
of  our  beautiful  city,  and  enter  more  into  details  respecting 
those  who  have  gone  to  their  rest,  but  who,  while  living, 
contributed  so  much  toward  the  intellectual,  historical,  and 
social  advancement  of  our  present  highly -refined  Chicago 
Society. 


CHICAGO  IN  1836. 


“ STRANGE  EARLY  DAYS." 


By  HARRIET  MARTINEAU,* 

Author  of  “Society  in  America.” 


We  had  already  met  with  some  delays;  and  there  was  no 
-seeing  the  end  of  the  present  adventure.  There  was  some 
doubt  whether  we  should  not  have  done  better  to  cross  the 
southern  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  from  Niles  to  Chicago,  by 
.a  little  steam-boat,  the  Delaware,  which  was  to  leave  Niles 
a  few  hours  after  our  stage.  It  had  been  thought  of  at 
Niles;  but  there  was  some  uncertainty  about  the  departure 
of  the  boat;  and  we  all  anxiously  desired  to  skirt  the  ex¬ 
tremity  of  this  great  inland  sea,  and  to  see  the  new  settle¬ 
ments  on  its  shores.  Had  we  done  right  in  incurring  this 
risk  of  detention?  Right  or  wrong,  here  we  were;  and  here 
we  must  wait  upon  events. 

Our  sleep,  amidst  the  luxury  of  cleanliness  and  hospital¬ 
ity,  was  most  refreshing.  The  next  morning  it  was  still 
raining,  but  less  vehemently.  After  breakfast,  we  ladies 
employed  ourselves  in  sweeping  and  dusting  our  room,  and 
making  the  beds;  as  we  had  given  our  kind  hostess  too 
much  trouble  already.  Then  there  was  a  Michigan  City 
newspaper  to  be  read;  and  I  sat  down  to  write  letters. 
Before  long,  a  wagon  and  four  drove  up  to  the  door,  the 
driver  of  which  cried  out  that  if  there  was  any  getting  to 
Michigan  Citv,  he  was  our  man.  We  equipped  ourselves 
in  our  warmest  and  thickest  clothing,  put  on  our  india-rub¬ 
ber  shoes,  packed  ourselves  and  our  luggage  in  the  wagon, 
put  up  our  umbrellas,  and  wondered  what  was  to  be  our 
fate.  When  it  had  come  to  saying  farewell,  our  hostess  put 
her  hands  on  my  shoulders,  kissed  me  on  each  cheek,  and 

*  Died  June  27,  1876,  aged  77  years,  at  Afnbleside,  England. 

n 

o 


34 


STRANGE  EARLY  DAYS. 


said  she  had  hoped  for  the  pleasure  of  our  company  for 
another  day.  For  my  own  part,  I  would  willingly  take  her 
at  her  word,  if  my  destiny  should  ever  carry  me  near  the 
great  lakes  again. 

We  jolted  on  for  two  miles  and  a-half  through  the  woods, 
admiring  the  scarlet  lilies,  and  the  pink  and  white  moccasin 
flower,  which  was  brilliant.  Then  we  arrived  at  the  place 
of  the  vanished  bridge.  Our  first  prospect  was  of  being 
paddled  over,  one  by  one,  in  the  smallest  of  boats.  But, 
when  the  capabilities  of  the  place  were  examined,  it  was 
decided  that  we  should  wait  in  a  house  on  the  hill,  while 
the  neighbors,  the  passengers  of  the  mail-stage,  and  the 
drivers,  build  a  bridge.  We  waited  patiently  for  nearly 
three  hours,  watching  the  busy  men  going  in  and  out,  gath¬ 
ering  tidings  of  the  freshet,  and  its  effects,  and  being 
pleased  to  see  how  affectionate  the  woman  of  the  house 
was  to  her  husband,  while  she  was  cross  to  everybody  else. 
It  must  have  been  vexatious  to  her  to  have  her  floor  made 
wet  and  dirty,  and  all  her  household  operations  disturbed 
by  a  dozen  strangers  whom  she  had  never  invited.  She  let 
us  have  some  dough-nuts,  and  gave  us  a  gracious  glance  or 
two  at  parting. 

We  learned  that  a  gentleman  who  followed  us  from 
Niles  the  preceding  day,  found  the  water  nine  feet  deep, 
and  was  near  drowning  his  horses,  in  a  place  which  we  had 
crossed  without  difficulty.  This  very  morning,  a  bridge 
which  we  had  proved  and  passed,  gave  way  with  the  stage, 
and  the  horses  had  to  be  dug  and  rolled  out  of  the  mud, 
when  they  were  on  the  point  of  suffocation.  Such  a  freshet 
had  never  been  known  to  the  present  inhabitants. 

At  half-past  two,  the  bridge  was  announced  complete, 
and  we  re-entered  our  wagon,  to  lead  the  cavalcade  across 
it,  slowly,  anxiously,  with  a  man  at  the  head  of  each  leader, 
we  entered  the  water,  and  saw  it  rise  to  the  nave  of  the 
wheels.  Instead  of  jolting,  as  usual,  we  mounted  and  de¬ 
scended  each  log  individually.  The  mail-wagon  followed, 
with  two  or  three  horsemen.  There  was  also  a  singularly 
benevolent  personage,  who  jumped  from  the  other  wagon,, 
and  waded  through  all  the  doubtful  places,  to  prove  them. 
He  leaped  and  splashed  through  the  water,  which  was 
sometimes  up  to  his  waist,  as  if  it  was  the  most  agreeable 
sport  in  the  world.  In  one  of  these  gullies,  the  forepart  of 
our  wagon  sank  and  stuck,  so  as  to  throw  us  forward,  and 


BY  HARRIET  MARTINEAU. 


35 


make  it  doubtful  in  what  mode  we  should  emerge  from  the 
water.  Then  the  rim  of  one  of  the  wheels  was  found  to 
be  loose;  and  the  whole  cavalcade  stopped  till  it  was 
mended.  I  never  could  understand  how  wagons  were 
made  in  the  back-country;  they  seemed  to  be  elastic,  from 
the  shocks  and  twisting  they  would  bear  without  giving 
way.  To  form  an  accurate  idea  of  what  they  have  to  bear, 
a  traveller  should  sit  on  a  seat  without  springs,  placed 
between  the  hind  wheels,  and  thus  proceed  on  a  corduroy 
road.  The  effect  is  less  fatiguing  and  more  amusing,  of 
riding  in  a  wagon  whose  seats  are  on  springs,  while  the 
vehicle  itself  is  not.  In  that  case,  the  feet  are  dancing  an 
involuntary  jig,  all  the  way;  while  the  rest  of  the  body  is  in 
a  state  of  entire  repose. 

The  drive  was  so  exciting  and  pleasant,  the  rain  having 
ceased,  that  I  was  taken  by  surprise  by  our  arrival  at  Mich¬ 
igan  City.  The  driver  announced  our  approach  by  a  series 
of  flourishes  on  one  note  of  his  common  horn,  which  made 
the  most  ludicrous  music  I  ever  listened  to. 

We  were  anxious  to  see  the  mighty  fresh  water  sea.  We 
made  inquiry  in  the  piazza;  and  a  sandy  hill,  close  by,  cov¬ 
ered  with  the  pea-vine,  Avas  pointed  out  to  us.  We  ran  up 
it,  and  there  beheld  what  we  had  come  so  far  to  see. 
There  it  was,  deep,  green,  and  swelling  on  the  horizon,  and 
whitening  into  a  broad  and  heavy  surf  as  it  rolled  in 
towards  the  shore.  Hence,  too,  we  could  make  out  the 
geography  of  the  city.  The  whole  scene  stands  insulated 
in  my  memory,  as  absolutely  singular;  and,  at  this  distance 
of  time,  scarcely  credible.  I  was  so  well  aware  on  the  . spot 
that  it  Avould  be  so,  that  I  m'ade  careful  and  copious  notes 
of  Avhat  I  saAv :  but  memoranda  have  nothing  to  do  Avith 
such  emotions  as  were  caused  by  the  sight  of  that  enor¬ 
mous  body  of  tumultuous  Avaters,  rolling  in  apparently  upon 
the  helpless  forest, — everywhere  else  so  majestic. 

Immediately  after  supper  avc  Avent  out  for  a  Avalk,  which, 
in  peculiarity,  comes  next  to  that  in  the  Mammoth  Cave; 
if,  indeed,  it  be  second  to  it.  The  scene  was  like  what  I 
had  ahvays  fancied  the  Noway  coast,  but  for  the  wild 
flowers,  which  greAv  among  the  pines  on  the  slope,  almost 
into  the  tide.  I  longed  to  spend  an  entire  day  on  this 
floAvery  and  shadowy  margin  of  the  inland  sea.  I  plucked 
handfuls  of  pea-vine  and  other  trailing  floAvers,  which 
seemed  to  run  all  over  the  ground.  We  found  on  the 


STRANGE  EARLY  DAYS. 


36 

sands  an  army,  like  Pharaoh’s  drowned  host,  of  disabled 
butterflies,  beetles,  and  flies  of  the  richest  colors  and  lustre, 
driven  over  the  lake  by  the  storm.  Charley*  found  a  small 
turtle  alive.  An  elegant  little  schooner,  “the  Sea  Serpent 
of  Chicago,”  was  stranded,  and  formed  a  beautiful  object 
as  she  lay  dark  between  the  sand  and  the  surf.  The  sun 
was  going  down.  We  watched  the  sunset,  not  remember¬ 
ing  that  the  refraction  above  the  fresh  waters  would  prob¬ 
ably  cause  some  remarkable  appearance.  We  looked  at 
one  another  in  amazement  at  what  we  saw.  First,  there 
were  three  gay,  inverted  rainbows  between  the  water  and 
the  sun,  then  hidden  behind  a  little  streak  of  cloud.  Then 
the  sun  emerged  from  behind  this  only  cloud,  urn-shaped; 
a  glistering  golden  urn.  Then  it  changed,  rather  suddenly, 
to  an  enormous  golden  acorn.  Then  to  a  precise  resem¬ 
blance,  except  being  prodigiously  magnified,  of  Saturn  with 
his  ring.  This  was  the  most  beautiful  apparition  of  all. 
Then  it  was  quickly  narrowed  and  elongated  till  it  was  like 
the  shaft  of  a  golden  pillar;  and  thus  it  went  down  square. 
Long  after  its  disappearance,  a  lustrous,  deep  crimson 
dome,  seemingly  solid,  rested  steadily  on  the  heaving 
waters.  An  inexperienced  navigator  might  be  pardoned 
for  making  all  sail  towards  it;  it  looked  so  real. 

On  our  road  to  Chicago,  the  next  day, — a  road  winding 
in  and  out  among  the  sand-hills,  we  were  called  to  alight, 
and  run  up  a  bank  to  see  a  wreck.  It  was  the  wreck  of 
the  Delaware ;— the  steamer  in  which  it  had  been  a  ques¬ 
tion  whether  we  should  not  proceed  from  N  iles  to  Chicago. 
She  had  a  singular  twist  in  her  middle,  where  she  was 
nearly  broken  in  two.  Her  passengers  stood  up  to  the 
neck  in  water,  for  twenty-four  hours  before  they  were  taken 
off;  a  worse  inconvenience  than  any  that  we  had  suffered 
by  coming  the  other  way.  The  first  thing  the  passengers 
from  the  Delaware  did,  when  they  had  dried  and  warmed 
themselves  on  shore,  was  to  sign  a  letter  to  the  captain, 
which  appeared  in  all  the  neighboring  newspapers,  thank¬ 
ing  him  for  the  great  comfort  they  had  enjoyed  on  board 
his  vessel.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  they  meant  previously 
to  their  having  to  stand  up  to  their  necks  in  water. 

In  the  wood  which  borders  the  prairie  on  which  Chicago 
stands,  we  saw  an  encampment  of  United  States’  troops. 
Since  the  rising  of  the  Creeks  in  Georgia,  some  months 

*  Son  of  Rev.  Dr.  Follen. 


BY  HARRIET  MARTINEAU. 


37 


before,  there  had  been  apprehensions  of  an  Indian  war 
along  the  whole  frontier.  It  was  believed  that  a  corre¬ 
spondence  had  taken  place  among  all  the  tribes,  from  the 
Cumaches,  who  were  engaged  to  fight  for  the  Mexicans  in 
Texas,  up  to  the  northern  tribes  among  whom  we  were 
going.  It  was  believed  that  the  war-belt  was  circulating 
among  the  Winnebagoes,  the  warlike  tribe  who  inhabit  the 
western  shores  of  Lake  Michigan ;  and  the  government  had 
sent  troops  to  Chicago,  to  keep  them  in  awe.  It  was  of 
some  consequence  to  us  to  ascertain  the  real  state  of  the 
case;  and  we  were  glad  to  find  that  alarm  was  subsiding  so 
fast,  that  the  troops  were  soon  allowed  to  go  where  they 
were  more  wanted.  As  soon  as  they  had  recovered  from 
the  storm,  which  seemed  to  have  incommoded  everybody, 
they  broke  up  their  encampment,  and  departed. 

Chicago  looks  raw  and  bare,  standing  on  the  high  prairie 
above  the  lake  shore.  The  houses  appear  all  insignificant, 
and  run  up  in  various  directions,  without  any  principle  at 
all.  A  friend  of  mine  who  resides  there  had  told  me  that 
we  should  find  the  inns  intolerable,  at  the  period  of  the 
great  land  sales,  which  bring  a  concourse  of  speculators  to 
the  place.  It  was  even  so.  The  very  sight  of  them  was 
intolerable;  and  there  was  not  room  for  our  party  among 
them  all.  I  do  not  know  what  we  should  have  done, 
(unless  to  betake  ourselves  to  the  vessels  in  the  harbor,)  if 
our  coming  had  not  been  foreknown,  and  most  kindly  pro¬ 
vided  for.  We  were  divided  between  three  families,  who 
had  the  art  of  removing  all  our  scruples  about  intrud¬ 
ing  on  perfeqt  strangers.  None  of  us  will  lose  the  lively 
and  pleasant  associations  with  the  place,  which  were  caused 
by  the  hospitalities  of  its  inhabitants. 

I  never  saw  a  busier  place  than  Chicago  was  at  the  time 
of  our  arrival.  The  streets  were  crowded  with  land  specu¬ 
lators,  hurrying  from  one  sale  to  another.  A  negro,  dressed 
up  in  scarlet,  bearing  a  scarlet  flag,  and  riding  a  white 
horse  with  housings  of  scarlet,  announced  the  times  of  sale. 
At  every  street  corner  where  he  stopped,  the  crowed  flocked 
round  him;  and  it  seemed  as  if  some  prevalent  mania  in¬ 
fected  the  whole  people.  The  rage  for  speculation  might 
fairly  be  so  regarded.  As  the  gentlemen  of  our  party 
walked  the  streets,  store-keepers  hailed  them  from  their 
doors,  with  offers  of  farms,  and  all  manner  of  land-lots,  ad¬ 
vising  them  to  speculate  before  the  price,  of  land  rose 


STRANGE  EARLY  DAYS. 


33 

higher.  A  young  lawyer,  of  my  acquaintance  there,*  had 
realized  five  hundred  dollars  per  day,  the  five  preceding 
days,  by  merely  making  out  titles  to  land.  Another  friend 
had  realized,  in  two  years,  ten  times  as  much  money  as  he 
had  before  fixed  upon  as  a  competence  for  life.  Of  course, 
this  rapid  money-making  is  a  merely  temporary  evil.  A 
bursting  of  the  bubble  must  come  soon.  The  absurdity  of 
the  speculation  is  so  striking,  that  the  wonder  is  that  the 
fever  should  have  attained  such  a  height  as  I  witnessed. 
The  immediate  occasion  of  the  bustle  which  prevailed,  the 
week  we  were  at  Chicago,  was  the  sale  of  lots,  to  the  value 
of  two  millions  of  dollars,  along  the  course  of  a  projected 
canal ;  and  of  another  set,  immediately  behind  these.  Per¬ 
sons  not  intending  to  game,  and  not  infected  with  mania, 
would  endeavor  to  form  some  reasonable  conjecture  as  to 
the  ultimate  value  of  the  lots,  by  calculating  the  cost  of  the 
canal,  the  risks  from  accident,  from  the  possible  competi¬ 
tion  from  other  places,  etc.,  and,  finally,  the  possible  pro¬ 
fits,  under  the  most  favorable  circumstance,  within  so  many 
years’  purchase.  Such  a  calculation  would  serve  as  some 
sort  of  guide  as  to  the  amount  of  purchase-money  to  be 
risked.  Whereas,  wild  land  on  the  banks  of  a  canal,  not 
yet  even  marked  out,  was  selling  at  Chicago  for  more  than 
rich  land,  well  improved,  in  the  finest  part  of  the  valley  of 
the  Mohawk,  on  the  banks  of  a  canal  which  is  already  the 
medium  of  an  almost  inestimable  amount  of  traffic.  If 
sharpers  and  gamblers  were  to  be  the  sufferers  by  the  im¬ 
pending  crash  at  Chicago,  no  one  would  feel  much  con¬ 
cerned:  but  they,  unfortunately,  are  the  people  who  encour¬ 
age  the  delusion,  in  order  to  profit  by  it.  Many  a  high- 
spirited,  but  unexperienced,  young  man;  many  a  simple 
settler,  will  be  ruined  for  the  advantage  of  knaves. 

Others,  besides  lawyers  and  speculators  by  trade,  make  a 
fortune  in  such  extraordinary  times.  A  poor  man  at  Chi¬ 
cago  had  a  pre-emption  right  to  some  land,  for  which  he 
paid  in  the  morning  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  In  the 
afternoon,  he  sold  it  to  a  friend  of  mine  for  five  thousand 
dollars.  A  poor  Frenchman, t  married  to  a  squaw,  had  a 
suit  pending,  when  I  was  there,  which  he  was  likely  to 
gain,  for  the  right  of  purchasing  some  land  by  the  lake  for 
one  hundred  dollars,  which  would  immediately  become 
worth  one  million  dollars. 

*  Joseph  N.  Balestier,  Esq.,  now  of  Brattleboro,  Vt  t  Gen.  John  B.  Beaubien. 


BY  HARRIET  MARTINEAU. 


39 


There  was  much  gaiety  going  on  at  Chicago,  as  well  as 
business.  On  the  evening  of  our  arrival  a  fancy  fair  took 
place.  As  I  was  too  much  fatigued  to  go,  the  ladies  sent 
me  a  bouquet  of  prairie  flowers.  There  is  some  allowable 
pride  in  the  place  about  its  society.  It  is  a  remarkable 
thing  to  meet  such  an  assemblage  of  educated,  refined,  and 
wealthy  persons  as  may  be  found  there,  living  in  small, 
inconvenient  houses  on  the  edge  of  a  wild  prairie.  There 
is  a  mixture,  of  course.  I  heard  of  a  family  of  half-breeds 
setting  up  a  carriage,  and  wear  fine  jewellery.  When  the 
present  intoxication  of  prosperity  passes  away,  some  of  the 
inhabitants  will  go  back  to  the  eastward;  there  will  be 
an  accession  of  settlers  from  the  mechanic  classes;  good 
houses  will  have  been  built  for  the  richer  families,  and  the 
■singularity  of  the  place  will  subside.  It  will  be  like  all  the 
other  new  and  thriving  lake  and  river  ports  of  America. 
Meantime,  I  am  glad  to  have  seen  it  in  its  strange  early 
■days. 

We  dined  one  day  with  a  gentleman*  who  had  been  Ind¬ 
ian  agent  among  the  Winnebagoes  for  some  years.  He  and 
his  lady  seem  to  have  had  the  art  of  making  themselves  as 
absolutely  Indian  in  their  sympathies  and  manners  as  the 
welfare  of  the  savages  among  whom  they  lived  required. 
They  were  the  only  persons  I  met  with  who,  really  knowing 
the  Indians,  had  any  regard  for  them.  The  testimony  was 
universal  to  the  good  faith,  and  other  virtues  of  savage  life 
of  the  unsophisticated  Indians;  but  they  were  spoken  of  in 
a  tone  of  dislike,  as  well  as  pity,  by  all  but  this  family;  and 
they  certainly  had  studied  their  Indian  neighbors  very  thor¬ 
oughly.  The  ladies  of  Indian  agents  ought  to  be  women  of 
nerve.  Our  hostess  had  slept  for  weeks  with  a  loaded  pis¬ 
tol  on  each  side  her  pillow,  and  a  dagger  under  it,  when  ex¬ 
pecting  an  attack  from  a  hostile  tribe.t  The  foe  did  not, 
however,  come  nearer  than  within  a  few  miles.  Her  hus¬ 
band’s  sister^  was  in  the  massacre  when  the  fort  was  aband¬ 
oned,  in  1812.  Her  father  and  her  husband  were  in  the 
battle,  and  her  mother  and  young  brothers  and  sisters  sat  in 
a  boat  on  the  lake  near.  Out  of  seventy  whites,  only  seven¬ 
teen  escaped,  among  whom  were  her  family.  She  was 
wounded  in  the  ankle,  as  she  sat  on  her  horse.  A  painted 

*  John  H.  Kinzie,  Esq.  t  At  Fort  Winnebago,  1832. 

X  Mrs.  Helm,  now  Mrs.  Geo.  C.  Bates,  Salt  Lake  City. 


40 


STRANGE  EARLY  DAYS. 


Indian,  in  warlike  costume,  came  leaping  up  to  her,  and  seized 
her  horse,  as  she  supposed,  to  murder  her.  She  fought  him 
vigorously,  and  he  bore  it  without  doing  her  any  injury. 
He  spoke,  but  she  could  not  understand  him.  Another 
frightful  savage  came  up,  and  the  two  led  her  horse  to  the 
lake,  and  into  it,  in  spite  of  her  resistance,  till  the  water 
reached  their  chins.  She  concluded  that  they  meant  to 
drown  her;  but  they  contented  themselves  with  holding  her 
on  her  horse  till  the  massacre  was  over,  when  they  led  her 
out  in  safety.  They  were  friendly  Indians,  sent  by  her 
husband  to  guard  her.  She  could  not  but  admire  their 
patience,  when  she  found  how  she  had  been  treating  her 
protectors. 

We  had  the  fearful  pleasure  of  seeing  various  savage  dances 
performed  by  the  Indian  agent  and  his  brother,*  with  the 
accompaniments  of  complete  costume,  barbaric  music,  and 
whooping.  The  most  intelligible  to  us  was  the  Discovery 
Dance,  a  highly  descriptive  pantomime.  We  saw  the  Ind¬ 
ian  go  out  armed  for  war.  We  saw  him  reconnoitre,  make 
signs  to  his  comrades,  sleep,  warm  himself,  load  his  rifle, 
sharpen  his  scalping-knife,  steal  through  the  grass  within 
rifle-shot  of  his  foes,  fire,  scalp  one  of  them,  and  dance, 
whooping,  and  triumphing.  There  was  a  dreadful  truth 
about  the  whole,  and  it  made  our  blood  run  cold.  It  real¬ 
ized  hatred  and  horror  as  effectually  as  Taglioni  does  love 
and  grace. 

We  were  unexpectedly  detained  over  the  Sunday  at  Chi¬ 
cago;  and  Dr.  F.t  was  requested  to  preach.  Though  only 
two  hours’  notice  was  given,  a  respectable  congregation 
was  assembled  in  the  large  room  of  the  Lake  House;  a 
new  hotel  then  building.  Our  seats  were  a  few  chairs  and 
benches,  and  planks  laid  on  trestles.  The  preacher  stood 
behind  a  rough  pine-table,  on  which  a  large  Bible  was 
placed.  I  was  never  present  at  a  more  interesting  service; 
and  I  know  that  there  were  others  who  felt  with  me. 

From  Chicago,  we  made  an  excursion  into  the  prairies. 
Our  young  lawyer-friend  threw  behind  him  the  five  hundred 
dollars  per  day,  which  he  was  making,  and  went  with  us. 
I  thought  him  wise;  for  there  is  that  to  be  had  in  the  wil¬ 
derness  which  money  cannot  buy.  We  drove  out  of  the 
town  at  ten  o’clock  in  the  morning,  too  late  by  two  hours; 
but  it  was  impossible  to  overcome  the  introductions  to 

*  John  H.  and  Robert  A.  Kinzie.  t  Rev.  Dr.  Follen. 


BY  HARRIET  MARTINEAU. 


41 


strangers,  and  the  bustle  of  our  preparations,  any  sooner. 
Our  party  consisted  of  seven,  besides  the  driver.  Our 
vehicle  was  a  wagon  with  four  horses. 

We  had  first  to  cross  the  prairie,  nine  miles  wide,  on  the 
lake  edge  of  which  Chicago  stands.  This  prairie  is  not 
usually  wet  so  early  in  the  year;  but  at  this  time  the  water 
stood  almost  up  to  the  nave  of  the  wheels:  and  we  crossed 
it  at  a  walking  pace.  I  saw  here,  for  the  first  time  in  the 
United  States, 'the  American  primrose.  It  grew  in  profu¬ 
sion  over  the  whole  prairie,  as  far  as  I  could  see;  not  so 
large  and  fine  as  in  English  green-houses,  but  graceful  and 
pretty.  I  now  found  the  truth  of  what  I  had  read  about 
the  difficulty  of  distinguishing  distances  on  a  prairie.  The 
feeling  is  quite  bewildering.  A  man  walking  near  looks 
like  a  Goliath  a  mile  off.  I  mistook  a  covered  wagon  with¬ 
out  horses,  at  a  distance  of  fifty  yards,  for  a  white  house 
near  the  horizon :  and  so  on.  We  were  not  sorry  to  reach 
the  belt  of  trees,  which  bounded  the  swamp  we  had  passed. 
At  a  house  here,  where  we  stopped  to  water  the  horses, 
and  eat  dough-nuts,  we  saw  a  crowd  of  emigrants;  which 
showed  that  we  had  not  yet  reached  the  bounds  of  civiliza¬ 
tion.  A  little  further  on  we  came  to  the  river  Aux  Plaines, 
spelled  on  a  sign  board  “Oplain.”  The  ferry  here  is  a 
monopoly,  and  the  public  suffers  accordingly.  There  is 
only  one  small  flat  boat  for  the  service  of  the  concourse  of 
people  now  pouring  into  the  prairies.  Though  we  hap¬ 
pened  to  arrive  nearly  first  of  the  crowd  of  to-day,  we  were 
detained  on  the  bank  above  an  hour ;  and  then  our  horses 
went  over  at  two  crossings,  and  the  wagon  and  ourselves  at 
the  third.  It  was  a  pretty  scene,  if  we  had  not  been  in  a 
hurry;  the  country  wagons  and  teams  in  the  wood  by  the 
side  of  the  quiet  clear  river;  and  the  oxen  swimming  over, 
yoked,  with  only  their  patient  faces  visible  above  the  sur¬ 
face.  After  crossing,  we  proceeded  briskly  till  we  reached 
a  single  house,  where,  or  nowhere,  we  were  to  dine.  The 
kind  hostess  bestirred  herself  to  provide  us  a  good  dinner 
of  tea,  bread,  ham,  potatoes,  and  strawberries,  of  whieh  a 
whole  pailful,  ripe  and  sweet,  had  been  gathered  by  the 
children  in  the  grass  round  the  house,  within  one  hour. 
While  dinner  was  preparing,  we  amused  ourselves  with 
looking  over  an  excellent  small  collection  of  books,  belong¬ 
ing  to  Miss  Cynthia,  the  daughter  of  the  hostess. 

I  never  saw  insulation,  (not  desolation,)  to  compare  with 


42 


STRANGE  EARLY  DAYS. 


the  situation  of  a  settler  on  a  wide  prairie.  A  single  house 
in  the  middle  of  Salisbury  Plain  would  be  desolate.  A 
single  house  on  a  prairie  has  clumps  of  trees  near  it,  rich 
fields  about  it;  and  flowers,  strawberries,  and  running  water 
at  hand.  But  when  I  saw  a  settler’s  child  tripping  out  of 
home-bounds,  I  had  a  feeling  that  it  would  never  get  back 
again.  It  looked  like  putting  out  into  Lake  Michigan  in  a 
canoe.  The  soil  round  the  dwellings  is  very  rich.  It 
makes  no  dust,  it  is  so  entirely  vegetable.  It  requires 
merely  to  be  once  turned  over  to  produce  largely;  and,  at 
present,  it  appears  to  be  inexhaustible.  As  we  proceeded, 
the  scenery  became  more  and  more  like  what  all  travellers 
compare  it  to, — a  boundless  English  park.  The  grass  was 
wilder,  the  occasional  footpath  not  so  trim,  and  the  single 
trees  less  majestic;  but  no  park  ever  displayed  anything 
equal  to  the  grouping  of  the  trees  within  the  windings  of 
the  blue,  brimming  river  Aux  Plaines. 

We  had  met  with  so  many  delays  that  we  felt  doubts 
about  reaching  the  place  where  we  had  intended  to  spend 
the  night.  At  sunset,  we  found  ourselves  still  nine  miles 
from  Joliet;*  but  we  were  told  that  the  road  was  good, 
except  a  small  “slew”  or  two;  and  there  was  half  a  moon 
shining  behind  a  thin  veil  of  clouds;  so  we  pushed  on. 
We  seemed  latterly  to  be  travelling  on  a  terrace  overlook¬ 
ing  a  wide  champaign,  where  a  dark  waving  line  might 
indicate  the  winding  of  the  river,  between  its  clumpy  banks. 
Our  driver  descended,  and  went  forward,  two  or  three 
times,  to  make  sure  of  our  road;  and,  at  length,  we  rattled 
down  a  steep  descent,  and  found  ourselves  among  houses. 
This  was  not  our  resting-place,  however.  The  Joliet  hotel 
lay  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  We  were  directed  to  a 
foot-bridge  by  which  we  were  to  pass;  and  a  ford  below 
for  the  wagon.  We  strained  our  eyes  in  vain  for  the  foot¬ 
bridge;  and  our  gentlemen  peeped  and  pryed  about  for 
some  time.  All  was  still  but  the  rippling  river,  and  every¬ 
body  asleep  in  the  houses  that  were  scattered  about.  We 
ladies  were  presently  summoned  to  put  on  our  water-proof 
shoes,  and  alight.  A  man  showed  himself  who  had  risen 

*  I  preserve  the  original  name,  which  is  that  of  the  first  French 
missionary  who  visited  these  parts.  The  place  is  now  commonly 
called  Juliet;  and  a  settlement  near  has  actually  been  named  Romeo: 
so  that  I  fear  there  is  little  hope  of  a  restoration  of  the  honorable  prim¬ 
itive  name. 


BY  HARRIET  MARTINEAU. 


43 


from  his  bed  to  help  us  in  our  need.  The  foot-bridge  con¬ 
sisted,  for  some  way,  of  two  planks,  with  a  hand-rail  on 
one  side :  but,  when  we  were  about  a-third  of  the  way  over, 
one-half  of  the  planks,  and  the  hand-rail  had  disappeared. 
We  actually  had  to  cross  the  rushing,  deep  river  on  a  line 
of  single  planks,  by  dim  moonlight,  at  past  eleven  at  night. 
The  great  anxiety  was  about  Charley;  but  between  his 
father  and  the  guide,  he  managed  very  well.  This  guide 
would  accept  nothing  but  thanks.  He  “did  not  calculate 
to  take  any  pay.”  Then  we  waited  some  time  for  the 
wagon  to  come  up  from  the  ford.  I  suspected  it  had 
passed  the  spot  where  we  stood,  and  had  proceeded  to  the 
village,  where  we  saw  a  twinkling  light,  now  disappearing, 
and  now  re-appearing.  It  was  so,  and  the  driver  came 
back  to  look  for  us,  and  tell  us  that  the  light  we  saw  was  a 
signal  from  the  hotel-keeper,  whom  we  found,  standing  on 
his  door-step,  and  sheltering  his  candle  with  his  hand.  We 
sat  down  and  drank  milk  in  the  bar,  while  he  went  to  con¬ 
sult  with  his  wife  what  was  to  be  done  with  us,  as  every 
bed  in  the  house  rvas  occupied.  We,  meanwhile,  agreed 
that  the  time  was  now  come  for  us  to  enjoy  an  adventure 
which  we  had  often  anticipated :  sleeping  in  a  barn.  We 
had  all  declared  ourselves  anxious  to  sleep  in  a  barn,  if  we 
could  meet  with  one  that  was  air-tight,  and  well  supplied 
with  hay.  Such  a  barn  was  actually  on  these  premises. 
We  were  prevented,  however,  from  all  practising  the  freak 
by  the  prompt  hospitality  of  our  hostess.  Before  we  knew 
what  she  was  about,  she  had  risen  and  dressed  herself,  put 
clean  sheets  on  her  own  bed,  and  made  up  two  others  on 
the  floor  of  the  same  room;  so  that  the  ladies  and  Charley 
were  luxuriously  accommodated.  Two  sleepy  personages 
crawled  down  stairs  to  offer  their  beds  to  our  gentlemen. 
Mr.  L.*  and  our  Chicago  friend,  however,  persisted  in  sleep¬ 
ing  in  the  barn.  Next  morning,  we  all  gave  a  very  gratify¬ 
ing  report  of  our  lodgings.  When  we  made  our  acknowl¬ 
edgments  to  our  hostess,  she  said  she  thought  that  people 
who  could  go  to  bed  quietly  every  night  ought  to  be  ready 
to  give  up  to  tired  travellers.  Whenever  she  travels,  I 
hope  she  will  be  treated  as  she  treated  us.  She  let  us  have 
breakfast  as  early  as  half-past  five,  the  next  morning,  and 
gave  Charley  a  bun  at  parting,  lest  he  should  be  too  hungry 
before  we  could  dine. 


*  Ellis  Gray  Loring,  Esq. 


44 


STRANGE  EARLY  DAYS. 


The  great  object  of  our  expedition,  Mount  Joliet,  was 
two  miles  distant  from  this  place.  We  had  to  visit  it,  and 
perform  the  journey  back  to  Chicago,  forty  miles,  before 
night.  The  mount  is  only  sixty  feet  high;  yet  it  commands 
a  view  which  1  shall  not  attempt  to  describe,  either  in  its 
vastness,  or  its  soft  beauty.  The  very  spirit  of  tranquility 
resides  in  this  paradisy  scene.  The  next  painter  who 
would  worthily  illustrate  Milton’s  Morning  Hymn,  should 
come  and  paint  what  he  sees  from  Mount  Joliet,  on  a  dewy 
summer’s  morning,  when  a  few  light  clouds  are  gently  sail¬ 
ing  in  the  sky,  and  their  shadows  traversing  the  prairie. 
I  thought  I  had  never  seen  green  levels  till  now;  and 
only  among  mountains  had  I  before  known  the  beauty  of 
wandering  showers.  Mount  Joliet  has  the  appearance  of 
being  an  artificial  mound,  its  sides  are  so  uniformly  steep, 
and  its  form  so  regular.  Its  declivity  was  bristling  with 
flowers;  among  which  were  conspicuous  the  scarlet  lily,  the 
white  convolvulus,  and  a  tall,  red  flower  of  the  scabia  form. 
We  disturbed  a  night-hawk,  sitting  on  her  eggs,  on  the 
ground.  She  wheeled  round  and  round  over  our  heads, 
and,  I  hope,  returned  to  her  eggs  before  they  were  cold. 

Not  far  from  the  mount  was  a  log-house,  where  the  rest  of 
the  party  went  in  to  dry  their  feet,  after  having  stood  long 
in  the  wet  grass.  I  remained  outside,  watching  the  light 
showers,  shifting  in  the  partial  sunlight  from  clump  to  level, 
and  from  reach  to  reach  of  the  brimming  and  winding  river. 
The  nine  miles  of  prairie,  which  we  had  traversed  in  dim 
moonlight  last  night,  were  now  exquisitely  beautiful,  as  the 
sun  shone  fitfully  upon  them. 

We  saw  a  prairie  wolf,  very  like  a  yellow  dog,  trotting 
across  our  path,  this  afternoon.  Our  hostess  of  the  preced¬ 
ing  day,  expecting  us,  had  an  excellent  dinner  ready  for  us. 
We  were  detained  a  shorter  time  at  the  ferry,  and  reached 
the  belt  of  trees  at  the  edge  of  Nine-mile  Prairie,  before 
sunset.  Here,  in  common  prudence,  we  ought  to  have 
stopped  till  the  next  day,  even  if  no  other  accommodation 
could  be  afforded  us  than  a  roof  over  our  heads.  We  de¬ 
served  an  ague  for  crossing  the  swamp  after  dark,  in  an 
open  wagon,  at  a  foot  pace.  Nobody  was  aware  of  this  in 
time,  and  we  set  forward;  the  feet  of  our  wearied  horses 
plashing  in  water  at  every  step  of  the  nine  miles.  There 
was  no  road;  and  we  had  to  trust  to  the  instinct  of  driver 


BY  HARRIET  MARTINEAU. 


45 


and  horses  to  keep  us  in  the  right  direction.  I  rather  think 
the  driver  attempted  to  amuse  himself  by  exciting  our  fears. 
He  hinted  more  than  once  at  the  difficulty  of  finding  the 
way;  at  the  improbability  that  we  should  reach  Chicago 
before  midnight;  and  at  the  danger  of  our  wandering  about 
the  marsh  all  night,  and  finding  ourselves  at  the  opposite 
edge  of  the  prairie  in  the  morning.  Charley  was  bruised 
and  tired.  All  the  rest  were  hungry  and  cold.  It  was 
very  drearv.  The  driver  bade  us  look  to  our  right  hand. 
A  black  bear  was  trotting  alongside  of  us,  at  a  little  dis¬ 
tance.  After  keeping  up  his  trot  for  some  time,  he  turned 
off  from  our  track.  The  sight  of  him  made  up  for  all, — 
even  if  ague  should  follow,  which  I  verily  believe  it  would. 
But  we  escaped  all  illness.  It  is  remarkable  that  I  never 
saw  ague  but  once.  The  single  case  that  I  met  with  was 
in  autumn,  at  the  Falls  of  Niagara. 

I  had  promised  Dr.  F.  a  long  story  about  English  poli¬ 
tics,  when  a  convenient  opportunity  should  occur.  I 
thought  the  present  an  admirable  one  ;  for  nobody  seemed 
to  have  anything  to  say,  and  it  was  highly  desirable  that 
something  should  be  said.  I  made  my  story  long  enough 
to  beguile  four  miles;  by  which  time,  some  were  too  tired, 
and  others  too  much  disheartened,  for  more  conversation. 
Something  white  was  soon  after  visible.  Our  driver  gave 
out  that  it  was  a  house,  half  a  mile  from  Chicago.  But  no : 
it  was  an  emigrant  encampment,  on  a  morsel  of  raised,  dry 
ground ;  and  again  we  were  uncertain  whether  we  were  in 
the  right  road.  Presently,  however,  the  Chicago  beacon 
was  visible,  shining  a  welcome  to  us  through  the  dim,  misty 
air.  The  horses  seemed  to  see  it,  for  they  quickened  their 
pace;  and  before  half-past  ten,  we  were  on  the  bridge. 

The  family,  at  my  temporary  home,  were  gone  up  to 
their  chambers;  but  the  wood-fire  was  soon  replenished, 
tea  made,  and  the  conversation  growing  lively.  My  com¬ 
panions  were  received  as  readily  at  their  several  resting- 
places.  When  we  next  met,  we  found  ourselves  all  dis¬ 
posed  to  place  warm  hospitality  very  high  on  the  list  of 
virtues. 

While  we  were  at  Detroit,  we  were  most  strongly  urged 
to  return  thither  by  the  Lakes,  instead  of  by  either  of  the 
Michigan  roads.  From  place  to  place,  in  my  previous 
travelling,  I  had  been  told  of  the  charms  of  the  Lakes,  and 
especially  of  the  Island  of  Mackinaw.  Every  officer’s  lady 


46 


STRANGE  EARLY  DAYS. 


who  has  been  in  garrison  there,  is  eloquent  upon  the  de¬ 
lights  of  Mackinaw.  As  our  whole  party,  however,  could 
not  spare  time  to  make  so  wide  a  circuit,  we  had  not  in¬ 
tended  to  indulge  ourselves  with  a  further  variation  in  our 
travels  than  to  take  the  upper  road  back  to  Detroit;  having 
left  it  by  the  lower.  On  Sunday,  June  27,  news  arrived  at 
Chicago  that  this  Tipper  road  had  been  rendered  impassable 
by  the  rains.  A  sailing  ship,*  the  only  one  on  the  Fakes, 
and  now  on  her  first  trip,  was  to  leave  Chicago  for  Detroit 
and  Buffalo,  the  next  day.  The  case  was  clear:  the  party 
must  divide.  Those  who  were  obliged  to  hasten  home 
must  return  by  the  road  we  came;  the  rest  must  proceed 
by  water.  On  Charley’s  account  the  change  of  plan  was 
desirable;  as  the  heats  were  beginning  to  be  so  oppressive 
as  to  render  travelling  in  open  wagons  unsafe  for  a  child. 
It  was  painful  to  break  up  our  party  at  the  extreme  point  of 
our  journey;  but  it  was  clearly  right.  So  Mr.  and  Mrs.  L. 
took  their  chance  by  land;  and  the  rest  of  us  went  on 
board  the  Milwaukee,  at  two  o’clock  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  28th. 

Mrs.  F.  and  I  were  the  only  ladies  on  board;  and  there 
was  no  stewardess.  The  steward  was  obliging,  and  the 
ladies’  cabin  was  clean  and  capacious ;  and  we  took  posses¬ 
sion  of  it  with  a  feeling  of  comfort.  Our  pleasant  impres¬ 
sions,  however,  were  not  of  long  duration.  The  vessel  was 
crowed  with  persons  who  had  come  to  the  land  sales  at 
Chicago,  and  were  taking  their  passage  back  to  Milwaukee; 
a  settlement  on  the  western  shore  of  the  lake,  about  eighty 
miles  from  Chicago.  "Fill  we  should  reach  Milwaukee,  we 
could  have  the  ladies’  cabin  only  during  a  part  of  the  day. 
I  say  a  part  of  the  day,  because  some  of  the  gentry  did  not 
leave  our  cabin  till  near  nine  in  the  morning;  and  others 
chose  to  come  down,  and  go  to  bed,  as  early  as  seven  in 
the  evening,  without  troubling  themselves  to  give  us  five 
minutes’  notice,  or  to  wait  till  we  could  put  up  our  needles, 
or  wipe  our  pens.  This  ship  was  the  only  place  in  Amer¬ 
ica  where  I  saw  a  prevalence  of  bad  manners.  It  was  the 
place  of  all  others  to  select  for  the  study  of  such;  and  no 
reasonable  person  would  look  for  anything  better  among 
land-speculators,  and  settlers  in  regions  so  new  as  to  be 
almost  without  women.  None  of  us  had  ever  before  seen, 
in  America,  a  disregard  of  women.  The  swearing  was 

*  Ship  Milwaukee. 


BY  HARRIET  MARTINEAU.  47 

incessant ;  and  the  spitting  such  as  to  amaze  my  American 
companions  as  much  as  myself. 

Supper  was  announced  presently  after  we  had  sailed; 
and  when  we  came  to  the  table,  it  was  full,  and  no  one 
offered  to  stir,  to  make  room  for  us.  The  captain,  who  was 
very  careful  of  our  comfort,  arranged  that  we  should  be 
better  served  henceforth;  and  no  difficulty  afterwards  oc¬ 
curred.  At  dinner,  the  next  day,  we  had  a  specimen  of 
how  such  personage  as  we  had  on  board  are  managed  on 
an  emergency.  The  captain  gave  notice,  from  the  head  of 
the  table,  that  he  did  nof  choose  our  party  to  be  intruded 
on  in  the  cabin  ;  and  that  any  one  who  did  not  behave 
with  civility  at  table  should  be  turned  out.  He  spoke  with 
decision  and  good-humor;  and  the  effect  was  remarkable. 
Everything  on  the  table  was  handed  to  us;  and  no  more  of 
the  gentry  came  down  into  our  cabin  to  smoke,  or  throw 
themselves  on  the  cushions  to  sleep,  while  we  sat  at  work. 
Our  fare  was  what  might  be  expected  on  Lake  Michigan- 
Salt  beef  and  pork,  and  sea-biscuit;  tea  without  milk, 
bread,  and  potatoes.  Charley  throve  upon  potatoes  and 
bread;  and  we  all  had  the  best  results  of  food, — health  and 
strength. 

A  little  schooner  which  left  Chicago  at  the  same  time 
with  ourselves,  and  reached  Milwaukee  first,  was  a  pretty 
object.  On  the  29th,  we  were  only  twenty-five  miles  from 
the  settlement;  but  the  wind  was  so  unfavorable  that  it 
was  doubtful  whether  we  should  reach  it  that  day.  Some 
of  the  passengers  amused  themselves  by  gaming,  down  in 
the  hold;  others  by  parodying  a  methodist  sermon,  and 
singing  a  mock  hymn.  We  did  not  get  rid  of  them  till 
noon  on  the  30th,  when  we  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  our 
ship  disgorge  twenty-five  into  one  boat,  and  two  into  an¬ 
other.  The  atmosphere  was  so  transparent  as  to  make  the 
whole  scene  appear  as  if  viewed  through  an  opera-glass; 
the  still,  green  waters,  the  dark  boats  with  their  busy  oars, 
the  moving  passengers,  and  the  struggles  of  one  to  recover 
his  hat,  which  had  fallen  overboard.  We  were  yet  five 
miles  from  Milwaukee;  but  we  could  see  the  bright,  wooded 
coast,  with  a  few  white  dots  of  houses. 

While  Dr.  F.  went  on  shore,  to  see  what  was  to  be  seen, 
we  had  the  cabin  cleaned  out,  and  took,  once  more,  com¬ 
plete  possession  of  it,  for  both  day  and  night.  As  soon  as 
this  was  done,  seven  young  women  came  down  the  com- 


48 


STRANGE  EARLY  DAYS. 


panion-way,  seated  themselves  round  the  cabin,  and  began 
to  question  us.  They  were  the  total  female  population  of 
Milwaukee;  which  settlement  now  contains  four  hundred 
souls.  We  were  glad  to  see  these  ladies;  for  it  was  natu¬ 
ral  enough  that  the  seven  women  should  wish  to  behold 
two  more,  when  such  a  chance  offered.  A  gentleman  of 
the  place,  who  came  on  board  this  afternoon,  told  me  that 
a  printing-press  had  arrived  a  few  hours  before ;  and  that  a 
newspaper  would  speedily  appear.*  He  was  kind  enough 
to  forward  the  first  number  to  me  a  few  weeks  afterwards; 
and  I  was  amused  to  see  how  pathetic  an  appeal  to  the 
ladies  of  more  thickly-settled  districts  it  contained;  implor¬ 
ing  them  to  cast  a  favorable  eve  on  Milwaukee,  and  its 
hundreds  of  bachelors.  Milwaukee  had  been  settled  since 
the  preceding  November.  It  had  good  stores;  (to  judge 
by  the  nature  and  quantity  of  goods  sent  ashore  from  our 
ship);  it  had  a  printing-press  and  newspaper,  before  the 
settlers  had  had  time  to  get  wives.  I  heard  these  new  set¬ 
tlement  sometimes  called  “patriarchal:”  but  what  would 
the  patriarchs  have  said  to  such  an  order  of  affairs? 

Dr.  F.  returned  from  the  town  with  apple-pies,  cheese, 
and  ale,  wherewith  to  vary  our  ship  diet.  With  him  ar¬ 
rived  such  a  number  of  towns-people,  that  the  steward 
wanted  to  turn  us  out  of  our  cabin  once  more :  but  we  were 
sturdy,  appealed  to  the  captain,  and  were  confirmed  in  pos¬ 
session.  From  this  time,  began  the  delights  of  our  voyage. 
The  moon,  with  her  long  train  of  glory,  was  magnificent 
to-night;  the  vast  body  of  water  on  which  she  shone  being 
as  calm  as  if  the  winds  were  dead. 

The  navigation  of  these  lakes,  is  at  present,  a  mystery. 
They  have  not  yet  been  properly  surveyed.  Our  captain 
had  gone  to  and  fro  on  Lake  Huron,  but  had  never  before 
been  on  Lake  Michigan ;  and  this  was  rather  an  anxious 
voyage  to  him.  We  had  got  aground  on  the  sand-bar 
before  Milwaukee  harbor;  and  on  the  ist  of  July,  all  hands 
were  busy  in  unshipping  the  cargo,  to  lighten  the  vessel, 
instead  of  carrying  her  up  to  the  town.  An  elegant  little 
schooner  was  riding  at  anchor  near  us;  and  we  were  well 
amused  in  admiring  her,  and  in  watching  the  bustle  on 
deck,  till  some  New  England  youths,  and  our  Milwaukee 
acquaintance,  brought  us,  from  the  shore,  two  newspapers, 
some  pebbles,  flowers,  and  a  pitcher  of  fine  strawberries. 

*  Milwaukee  Sentinel, 


popular  publications. 


i  . 

ANNALS  OF  CHICAGO:  a  Lect¬ 
ure  delivered  before  t lie  Chicago  Lyceum,  Jan. 
21,  iS40.  By  Joseph  N.  Balestikr,  ESq., 
Republished  from  ihe  original  edition  of  1S40, 
with  an  Introduction,  written  by  the  author  in 
1S76;  and,  also,  a  Review  of  the  Lecture,  pub¬ 
lished  in  the  Chicago  Tribune  in  1872.  Brice, 
25  cents. 


2. 

FERGUS’ DIRECTORYOFTHE 

CITY  OF  CHICAGO,  1839;  with  City  and 
County  Officers,  Churches,  Public  Buildings, 
Hotels,  etc.;  also,  list  of  Sheriffs  of  Cook 
County  and  Mayors  of  the  City  since  their  or¬ 
ganization  ;  together  with  Poll-List  of  the  First 
City  Flection,  (Tuesday,  May  2d,  1837);  and, 
also,  List  of  Purchasers  of  Lots  in  Fort  Dear¬ 
born  Addition,  the  No.  of  the  Lots  and  the 
Prices  Paid  (1S39).  Compiled  by  Robert 
Fergus.  Price;  50  cents. 


3. 

THE  LAST  OF  THE  ILLINOIS, 

AND  A  SKETCH  OF  THE  POTTAWA- 
TOM  1 1.  ' :  Read  before  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  December  13th,  1S70;  also, 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  PRAIRIES:  Read  before 

the  Ottawa  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  De¬ 
cember  30th,  1S69.  By  Hon.  John  Dean 
Capon,  I.L.D.,  late  Chief-Justice  of  Illinois. 
Price,  25  cents. 

4. 

AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF 

OF  Till*'.  FARIA  MOVEMENT  IN  ILLI¬ 
NOIS  FOR  THE  LEGALIZATION  OF 
SLAVERY:  Read  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of 
the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  December  5, 
1864.  By  Hon.  W.\i.  II.  Brown,  Ex-Presi¬ 
dent  of  the  Society.  Price,  25  cents. 


5. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKET( 

OF  SOME  OF  THE  EARLY  SEJ 
OF  THE  CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
contains  Sketches  of  Hon.  S.  Lisle  Sm 
Davis,  Dr.  Philip  Maxwell,  John  J. 
Richard  L.  Wilson,  Col.  Lewis  C.  K 
Uriah  P.  Harris,  Henry  B.  Clarke,  an 
Samuel  J.  Lowe.  By  Wxi.  H.  Bu 
Price,  25  cents. 

6. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETC 

OF  SOME  OF  THE  EARLY  SET 
OF  THE  CITY  OK  CHICAGO, 
contains  Sketches  of  Wm.  II.  Brown,- 
W.  Raymond,  Esq.,  J.  Y.  Scammo 
Chas.  Walker,  Esq.,  Thomas  Chun 
Price,  25  cents. 

7. 

EARLY  CHICAGO:  A  Lect 

livered  in  the  Sunday  Course,  at  McC 
Hall,  May  7th,  1876.  By  Hon.  Joii> 
worth.  With  portrait.  Price,  35  ct 

8. 

EARLY  CHICAGO:  A  Lect 

livered  in  the  Sunday  Course,  at  McC 
Hall,  April  11,  1S75.  With  additiona 
never  before  published.  By  Hon.  Jolt.' 
worth.  Price,  35  cents. 

9. 

PRESENT  AND  FUT 

PROSPECTS  OF  CHICAGO:  An 
delivered  before  the  Chicago  Lyceum, 
1S46.  By  Henry  Brown,  Esq.,  A 
“History  of  Illinois.” 

RISE  AND  PROGRESS  OF  CHI 
An  Address  delivered  before  the  Ci 
Library  Association,  March  21,  187 
James  A.  Marshall,  Esq. 
CHICAGO  IN  1836:  “STRANGE 
DAYS.”  By  Harriet  Maritne.au 
of  “Society  in  America.”  Price,  251 


Sent  by  Mail  on  receipt  of  price,  by  the  Publishers, 

Fergus  Printing  Co.,  244-8  Illinois  Street,  Chic 


977.3  F352  Wo. 59  622889 


Biographical  Sketches  of _ 

Some  of  the  Early  Settlers 
of  the  City  of  Chicago. 

977.3  f352  N0.59  622889 


